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Kohima: A group of 1,065 Sumi Naga community members filed a petition at the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court. They want an intervention regarding the Sumi Naga Re-edited 2025 version published by the Bible Society of India. The petitioners claim this translation distorts biblical meaning and causes confusion. Justice Anjan Moni Kalita heard the case and issued notices to the respondents.
Respondents include the Nagaland government, the police, the Home department, and the Bible Society of India along with its Dimapur Auxiliary. The next hearing is September 7. While the Bible Society of India already stopped printing the book, the tribe wants more. They demand a public announcement confirming the withdrawal of the text from circulation. The petitioners argue that copies already in homes and churches create lasting confusion.
The Society for the Preservation of Sumi Language led the pushback against the publication. They cited mistranslations and departures from accepted tribal terminology found in hymn books and historical literature. The group states that the edits include "mistranslations, omissions and additions that affected the theological meaning of the text." The court will now decide if authorities must take further action to track down and label these existing copies.
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