The Supreme Court on Thursday reprimanded the Manipur government over suspected deaths and sexual assault cases in eight relief camps. The court sought a report from the Chief Secretary on 25 deaths.
According to the court, 640 deaths have been recorded so far in relief camps across eight districts. Post-mortems were conducted in only 20 cases, even though criminal cases had been registered in these cases.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan was hearing petitions related to the investigation and action in cases of sexual violence linked to the ethnic violence in Manipur in 2023.
Justice Geeta Mittal committee submitted report to SC
The Supreme Court referred to a report submitted by a committee headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Geeta Mittal. It also asked the Manipur Advocate General what action had been taken on the information sought by the committee on July 4.
Court directs registration of FIRs
The Supreme Court directed the Manipur Legal Services Authority to take immediate action. It said FIRs should be registered in all cases of suspected deaths and proper investigations into the causes of death should be ensured.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that 42 Special Investigation Teams had been formed across eight districts. Investigations are underway in 3,020 cases. Chargesheets have been filed in 302 cases, while closure reports have been filed in 1,583 cases. Investigations are still pending in 1,135 cases, and trials have begun in 33 cases.
The victims’ lawyer said hearings in the cases were being held only two days a week at the special court in Guwahati. CJI Surya Kant said that even this would help move the trials forward.
