New Delhi, Sept 18:
The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed shock over the deaths of internally displaced persons in relief camps in Manipur and directed the State’s Chief Secretary to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken to investigate the deaths, particularly cases involving alleged unnatural deaths.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana questioned why significant action had not been taken on information submitted by the committee headed by former Chief Justice Gita Mittal regarding deaths in relief camps.
The court specifically sought an explanation on why post-mortems had been conducted in only 20 of 34 reported death cases. It also questioned the compensation of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 paid to internally displaced persons who died unnatural deaths while staying in relief camps.
The Bench directed the Manipur Chief Secretary to explain the steps taken to investigate the deaths, initiate criminal proceedings wherever required and ensure the safety and dignity of people living in the camps.
The Manipur State Legal Services Authority was also asked to file a separate status report. The Chief Justice directed the authority to ensure that FIRs were registered in all cases of unnatural deaths and that investigations were completed expeditiously.
The court’s order followed its examination of reports submitted by the Justice Gita Mittal committee and an IAS officer. The reports indicated that more than 30 people had died in relief camps, with one death reportedly following an alleged sexual assault.
The Bench also expressed hope that two special trial courts established to deal exclusively with CBI and NIA cases arising from the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur would complete the trials without undue delay.
Appearing for the CBI and the State government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that the CBI had investigated 31 cases and filed final reports in 28, while three cases remained under investigation.
In cases investigated by State police, 42 Special Investigation Teams were constituted across eight districts. These teams registered 3,020 cases and filed chargesheets in 302 cases. Closure reports were filed in 1,583 cases, while investigations were continuing in 1,135 cases. Trials had begun in 33 cases investigated by the State SITs.
The ethnic violence in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, following a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands displaced since the violence began.