A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Gauhati High Court challenging the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Dimapur, including the districts of Niuland and Chümoukedima– erstwhile parts of Dimapur.
According to a court order dated June 26, 2025, the petitioner Uttam Bathari from Guwahati, along with Kangthim Ronghang and Sarklim Bey, both residents of Karbi Anglong– contended the extension of ILP to these areas. The High Court, after hearing the counsels representing the petitioners and respondents—including the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the governments of Assam and Nagaland—directed that a notice be issued, returnable within six weeks. However, it added that no formal notice was necessary as all respondents were already duly represented.
The court further instructed the petitioners’ counsel to furnish the requisite copies of the writ petition to the counsels for the respondents and listed the matter to be heard after six weeks along with PIL No. 22 of 2025. According to Assam based media– Pratidin Time, Dr. Uttam Bathari stated that ILP, which was earlier restricted to specific areas of Nagaland, has now been extended to cover the entire Dimapur region, including Chümoukedima and Niuland. He claimed that this expansion is having serious implications for original inhabitants who have traditionally lived in and moved freely across these areas.
ILP: Identification, enumeration process begins
To streamline population categorization under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) framework, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dimapur has notified initiation of identification and enumeration of individuals belonging to Category I and Category II.
According to the notification, the process will commence with immediate effect. Forms required for the process would be available at the ILP administrative cell, located within the office of the DC Dimapur.