Supreme Court Seeks Joint Plan for Manipur Highways

Synopsis

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, told the rival groups caught up in Manipur's highway blockade mess to sit down and work out a joint plan to reopen the highways. A Bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana pointed out that the blockades weren't helping anybody; they were choking off essential supplies and causing hardship right across the board. The Court was hearing a plea by the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights, seeking the blockade on NH2 lifted and supplies restored to Kuki-Zo areas of Kangpokpi. In the petition, they also included the Meitei group and NHAI as a party.

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What Did The Court Observe During Hearing?

The Bench remarked that blocking highways wasn't serving anyone's cause and that hardship was being felt by everyone involved, regardless of community. It suggested the parties consider bringing in an independent agency or some other mechanism to help resolve the impasse, and reportedly told the parties they must be tired of the prolonged standoff by now.

Justice Bagchi separately noted that the problem couldn't be addressed separately, with one highway reopened while others remained blocked, and CJI Kant stressed that highways function as the lifeline of the common person. The Bench made clear it wanted a workable proposal rather than a fresh round of counter-affidavits or competing allegations between the parties. The bench wanted the parties to come up with a workable solution rather than continue exchanging allegations and counter-affidavits.

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What Prompted The Fresh Petition?

The Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights approached the Supreme Court alleging that a blockade had cut off supplies of food, medicine, and fuel to Kuki-Zo-inhabited areas of Kangpokpi district since mid-May 2026. The organisation linked the blockade to a fresh confrontation between Naga and Kuki-Zo groups, but there is no clear agreement on what caused the standoff.

The bigger concern is Manipur's prolonged ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, which has continued in various forms since May 2023, alongside separate friction between Naga and Kuki-Zo groups in the state's hill districts. Senior Advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the petitioner organisation, told the Court that the blockade had led to shortages of food and disrupted schooling in affected areas.

What Did the Court Direct the Parties?

The Court directed the newly impleaded Meitei organisation to submit details of all other national highways that remain blocked, along with a concrete proposal for reopening them, rather than filing a conventional counter-affidavit. The petitioner organisation was likewise asked to submit its own comprehensive proposal for restoring highway movement across the state.

The two sides presented conflicting accounts of who was responsible for the blockade. Instead of addressing those competing claims, the Court urged both parties to focus on finding a practical and comprehensive solution.

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