Manipur violence: SC proposes setting up committee of three former HC judges to look into relief & rehabilitation

Supreme Court while hearing a case on Manipur violence said that they contemplate constituting a committee of three former HC judges which will be looking at things apart from investigation - including relief, remedial measures.

SC says former Jammu and Kashmir HC Chief Justice Gita Mittal will head the three-member committee of former judges.


A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud heard the matter.

DGP of Manipur, Rajiv Singh was present before the court as directed by SC on August 1.

Supreme Court after hearing the case said that on the investigation part, cases have been transferred to the CBI, but to ensure faith in the rule of law, it is proposing to direct that there shall be five officers of rank at least Deputy SP who will be brought into CBI from various states. These officers will also be functioning within the four corners of the infrastructure and administrative structure of CBI. There will be 42 SITs looking at cases that have not been transferred to CBI.

During the hearing, Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the government revealed that there will be SITs comprising of senior police officials for six violence-hit districts. The SP-led SITs will look into ethnic clashes/offences.

To investigate crimes against women in Manipur, SIT will be formed which will have a women-only police officers' team. DIG and DGP will supervise these investigations, AG said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during the hearing informed the apex court that CBI will probe 12 FIRs relating to crimes against women in Manipur during violence and those crimes that come to light during the investigation.

Tension had soared in Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced that showed two women being paraded naked by a mob.

"One thing is very clear that there is a long delay in registering FIR in the video case," the bench remarked orally in its last hearing.

At the outset, the Manipur government told the bench it has lodged 6,523 FIRs after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Manipur government, told the top court that Manipur police have arrested seven people, including a juvenile, in the video case. It appears that the state police recorded the statement of women after video surfaced, Mehta told the bench.

Solicitor General informed SC that 250 arrests have been made and 12,000 arrests have been done preventive measures.

The CBI was recently appointed to probe the case of viral video on two women and the government will seek its trial outside the state, officials said.

SC said that entrusting CBI with the investigation of 6,500 FIRs is impossible otherwise it will result in the breakdown of the CBI mechanism also. At the same time, state police can't be entrusted, it added.

The incident happened on May 4, but the Zero FIR was registered two weeks later on May 18. "Why did the Police take 14 days to register the FIR? What was the police doing from May 4 to May 18?" the CJI had questioned.

(With agency inputs)