KOHIMA: A dispute over the Sumi Naga Re-edited Bible 2025 has reached the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court, with 1,065 members of the Sumi Naga community alleging that linguistic changes in the edition alter the meaning of several Biblical passages. The petition seeks restrictions on its circulation pending judicial examination.
The High Court has issued notices to the Union government, the Nagaland government, the Bible Society of India (BSI) and other respondents, directing them to file their responses. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on September 7.
The applicants have also sought an interim direction restraining the BSI from printing, distributing or circulating the 2025 edition until the court considers the issues raised in the petition.
The dispute centres on changes made to the Sumi-language text during the re-editing process. The petitioners have alleged that some linguistic changes have affected the meaning conveyed in portions of the Bible.
The controversy had been developing for months before the matter reached the court. Earlier this year, the Society for the Preservation of the Sumi Language publicly objected to the revised translation.
According to the organisation, several long-established Sumi words were replaced during the editing process. It alleged that the changes went beyond language and affected the meaning conveyed in the scriptures.
The latest legal challenge has brought those concerns before the court, with the petitioners seeking judicial scrutiny of the 2025 edition and an interim restraint on its printing and circulation.
The applicants' challenge concerns the use of language in a religious text and whether the changes introduced in the re-edited edition have altered the meaning of Biblical passages. The court's consideration of the petition will determine how those concerns are addressed in the legal proceedings.
Retired pastor Rev. Heniji Zhimomi, one of the critics of the revised edition, said the concerns went beyond questions of language.
"This is about the holiness of God and the pollution of His word," he said, alleging that expressions used in earlier Sumi Bible editions had been replaced with unfamiliar wording in the latest version.
The Society for the Preservation of the Sumi Language had earlier raised objections to the revised edition, particularly over changes to established Sumi vocabulary.
The organisation's objections form part of the broader controversy surrounding the 2025 edition. The present petition has taken the dispute to the Kohima Bench, where the applicants are seeking directions concerning the edition's printing and distribution.
The case also brings government authorities and the Bible Society of India into the proceedings. The High Court has sought responses from the Union government, the Nagaland government, BSI and other respondents.
The matter is scheduled to come up before the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court on September 7. The respondents have been directed to file their responses to the petition.
The court will then consider the issues raised by the applicants, including their request for an interim restraint on the printing, distribution and circulation of the Sumi Naga Re-edited Bible 2025. The material provided does not indicate whether the court has granted the requested interim relief.
