New Delhi: The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, the proscribed armed group from Meghalaya, has challenged the ban imposed on it by the Ministry of Home Affairs before the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal. This is the first such move of its kind.
As per the outfit’s representative Sadon K. Blah, HNLC is “committed to the peace process through the political channel”. However, both the Union and the state government have “expressed difficulty to consider the demand of the HNLC to lift the ban”.
“Since we failed on the political platform, the HNLC is exploring the option of fighting the ban on the organisation through legal recourse,” Blah told reporters in Shillong earlier this week.
Formed in 1992, HNLC, as a secessionist group, hinged on “liberation of Hynniewtrep people (Khasi and Jaintia tribes) from the rule of the Indian government.”
In the last few years, it had entered into peace talks with the government several times but withdrawn citing “lack of seriousness” in addressing key issues. The last time it walked out of peace talks was in 2024, following which, in November that year, the MHA renewed the ban for another five years. It fixed February 13, 2025, as the last date for submission of replies or objections against it before the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal.
This January, the Meghalaya government extended a fresh invitation to HNLC to enter into peace talks with the Union government and offered itself as the facilitator. According to a report in the Assam Tribune, chief minister Conrad Sangma had then “reiterated the state’s commitment to facilitating the peace process, assuring that any challenges arising during discussions would be addressed.”
The tribunal has had sittings in Shillong a few times. In the run-up to its last sitting on March 22, the HNLC leadership appointed Fernando Shangpliang as its counsel to challenge the ban. Shangpliang told reporters in Shillong on March 19 that he was appointed by HNLC chairman Bobby Marwein and the general secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw on past March 6 to represent the outfit at the tribunal.
However, on March 22, the tribunal head, Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati high court, refused to entertain the HNLC’s petition on the ground that the date for such an action had passed on February 25.
Local reports said, in the last sitting of the tribunal held in Shillong on February 18, the Meghalaya government had submitted documents supporting the ban. According to The Shillong Times, “During the sitting, comprehensive details of all cases involving the HNLC were reviewed, including information that it was involved in 48 criminal cases – ranging from explosions to the planting of explosives in Meghalaya – between November 16, 2019, and June 30, 2024.”
The news report had said, “During the same period, authorities recorded the surrender of three members of the group and the arrest of 73 others, underscoring the intensity of the crackdown on the outfit.”
The MHA had also submitted its reply to the tribunal within the stipulated time supporting the ban because of the group’s “secessionist motive.”
Blah, has, however, claimed that some of those arrested by the state government do not belong to HNLC. “We have found there are serious lapses when it comes to accusations made against the outfit, especially on the claim that all those who have been arrested are HNLC cadres.”
The tribunal’s next sitting is on April 9. The HNLC’s counsel told reporters in Shillong that the next step would be to study the affidavits of the governments. “Therefore, by next week, the Union and state governments will provide copies of their respective depositions along with their affidavits. Based on these documents, I will cross-examine all witnesses presented by the union and state governments on April 9.”
