Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: The Supreme Court on September 17 demanded immediate accountability for deaths occurring within Manipur relief camps. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant led a bench alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. They expressed shock over the situation. Reports from the Justice Gita Mittal committee and an IAS officer identified more than 30 deaths among internally displaced persons. One fatality involved an alleged sexual assault.
The court ordered the state Chief Secretary to file an affidavit addressing these deaths. Specifically, they want details on unnatural deaths. The bench questioned why only 20 of 34 reported cases underwent postmortems. They also demanded an explanation for why compensation amounts for victims reached only Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000.
"We direct the Chief Secretary of Manipur to file an affidavit on deaths, especially unnatural deaths, at relief camps in Manipur," the bench said. The court instructed the Manipur State Legal Services Authority to file a status report. They must ensure FIRs are registered for every unnatural death while monitoring the safety and dignity of those living in the camps.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati provided an update on the violence that began on May 3, 2023, after a tribal solidarity march sparked ethnic conflict. Over 200 people have died since the start. The CBI has probed 31 cases, filing final reports in 28 of them. Three cases remain under investigation.
State-led investigations are ongoing. Local police formed 42 Special Investigation Teams across eight districts. These teams registered 3,020 cases. They filed chargesheets in 302 instances and submitted closure reports for 1,583 cases. Investigation continues in 1,135 files. Trials have started in 33 cases. Two special courts now handle CBI and NIA matters. The Supreme Court expects these trials to move quickly.
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