Guwahati : The Gauhati High Court has instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe allegations of areca nut smuggling from Myanmar into India through Mizoram’s Champhai district. The court’s decision follows a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Vanramchhuangi, also known as ‘Ruatfela Nu.’

The bench, led by Justice Michael Zothankhuma and Justice Marly Vankung, issued the order on Tuesday. The PIL contended that fake or forged e-way bills and GST certificates were being used in the smuggling operations.

The court noted that the state’s police had expressed their inability to thoroughly investigate the matter due to its international scope. “This direction for a CBI probe is necessitated by the involvement of international smuggling and the need for an unbiased inquiry,” the court said. It further instructed the CBI to register a case if warranted and pursue the investigation to its logical conclusion.