Justice Bagchi said that issues of public interest will have to be kept open in the matter. The judge also noted that the matter involves tribal rights.
“Otherwise, what happens is, if you see the demography of the entire Andaman and Nicobar, the Great Andamanese have become integrated with the population. This is what is happening with the Shompen tribe. Do they become integrated completely with the mainstream, or do we keep them with their unique identity and the identity of their culture? Preservation of culture is a constitutionally protected fundamental right,” Justice Bagchi said.
At this, Venkataramani said,
“We are not talking about those vulnerable tribes. We are talking about people who are integrated into the mainstream.”
Ultimately, the Central government also agreed to having the matter be decided by the High Court.
“Let all the matters be decided,” Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said.