SC seeks CBI’s status report on Manipur violence; asks Centre, state to implement panel’s report
Last month, the top court extended till July 31 the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal committee set up to oversee relief and rehabilitation of victims of the violence
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the CB to submit a status report on its probe into 11 FIRs related to the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence cases in two weeks.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi suggested that instead of the top court, the Manipur High Court, which has a new Chief Justice, or the Gauhati High Court or both, could monitor the trials and related developments in the ethnic violence cases.
The Bench asked the Centre and the Manipur Government to ensure implementation of Justice Gita Mittal Committee’s recommendations on rehabilitation and welfare of the victims of the ethnic violence in the state. It has submitted several reports on measures to rehabilitate the victims.
It posted the matter for further hearing on February 26.
More than 200 people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands displaced since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Last month, the Supreme Court extended till July 31 the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal committee set up to oversee relief and rehabilitation of victims of the violence.
Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing one of the woman victims who passed away recently, alleged that the CBI failed to inform her about the filing of a chargesheet in her rape case.
She said the victim, a Kuki woman, died last month due to an illness allegedly linked to the trauma of gang rape. Grover claimed that the main accused were not appearing before the trial court and that the CBI was also not present, describing the situation as “shocking”.
Maintaining that victims’ rights could not be compromised, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta suggested that monitoring could be entrusted to the Manipur High Court.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing a tribal body forum of the Manipur Kukis, told the court that multiple reports had been filed by the committees but copies were not available to them. He submitted that rehabilitation was at a standstill and prosecution progress was slow.
