Manipur violence Supreme Court hearing highlights: All women panel of 3 ex-HC judges to look into relief, rehab work

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered to constitute a three-member judicial committee headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal along with retired justices Asha Menon and Shalini P Joshi to oversee the remedial measures, compensation and rehabilitation in relation to various incidents of ethnic violence in Manipur. Read full story

Dattatray Padsalgikar, former deputy national security advisor & ex-Maharashtra DGP, will supervise the CBI probe, said the Supreme Court. 

Panel of judges to be headed by former J&K HC chief justice Gita Mittal. Other two members are retired judges Asha Menon and Shalini P Joshi, read SC's proposed order. 

1) A panel of three ex-HC judges to look into relief, rehab measures

2) CBI teams to have officers from outside Manipur

3) A retd IPS officer to supervise CBI probes

4) DIG rank officers from outside Manipur to oversee SITs

“Our efforts are to restore a sense of confidence in rule of law. We will constitute at one level a committee of 3 former HC judges. This committee will be looking at things apart from investigation - including relief, remedial measures etc,” said CJI D Y Chandrachud as reported by Live Law. 

Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves said in SC: “When a riot takes place, we should identify the core ring leaders- they're 10-20, but well connected. Some part of the investigation should focus on the core persons who created and executed this conspiracy. And this is well known,” repoted Live Law. 

“Once these core 10-20 people are punished, the further assaults will stop. They think they cannot be touched- so they make hate speeches etc. And now we have Justice Joseph's judgement on hate speech too..,” he added. 

Advocate Prashant Bhushan argued in the SC, “One issue is the looting of ammunition from state administration. The allegation is that they were allowed to be looted. This is a very serious allegation because arms resulted in violence to get worse...”

“It should be investigated whether the state coalesced..,” he added, reported Live Law.

“They're calling it an SIT but it is selected by state...The allegations are against the state police- ranging from active participation to perpetration. The concern of selection doesn't get elevated if the selection is by state cadre. Selection should be by court,” advocate Nizam Pasha argued in SC, reported Live Law. 

The Director-General of Police (DGP) will take stock of SITs formed to probe the FIRs filed in Manipur during the ethic clashes in the state, said the state govt in SC. 

A Superintendent of Police (SP) level officer will head the SITs to probe the incidents of violence in Manipur, the state government informed the Supreme Court. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) will supervise SITs, it added.

During the hearing in Supreme Court, the Manipur govt further informed that at least 8 special investigation teams (SITs) will be formed to probe other FIRs (related to matters expect crime against women). 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe all 12 First Information Report (FIRs) on crime against women in Manipur, the state government told SC. 

Attorney General R Venkataramani said in SC: “In terms of the order, regarding disaggregation of offences, we have to be careful. The government is handling this on a very mature level.”

“Broadly, on basis of analysis of FIRs and nature of offences, we have made this district configuration. In case of murders, there will be SPs etc, then in sexual offences there will be teams fully comprising of female investigative officers...” he added, reported Live Law. 

The Meira Paibis, a group of elderly Meitei women, have decided to stage protests in the Imphal Valley districts starting from Monday. The decision was taken during a convention held in the Malom Tulihal area of Imphal West district on Sunday.

The women's collective is taking this stand against the Assam Rifles, alleging them of engaging in brutal actions during recent agitations. They are demanding the withdrawal of the paramilitary force from the violence-hit areas in the state. 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi met the party's leaders from Manipur and discussed the situation in the violence-hit northeastern state.

Curfew in the Imphal East and West districts of Manipur was relaxed from 5 am to noon on Monday.

On Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) withdrawing support from the state government in the state, Manipur Health Minister Sapam Ranjan says, "We've been told that they have withdrawn the support. I think KPA has two MLAs in the Assembly... I don't think it will affect the govt in any way since we have the absolute numbers."

Since May 3, the northeastern state has been gripped by ethnic clashes – primarily between the tribal Kukis, who reside mostly in the hill districts, and the majority Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal valley – in which at least 160 people have died and over 50,000 have been displaced.

Manipur on Friday and Saturday reported fresh cases of firing between different armed groups and between security forces and the armed miscreants. One Kuki independent army militant was also arrested on Saturday evening after an encounter with the army, police said

Indian footballer Chinglensana Singh, who belongs to Manipur, claimed that he has lost almost everything in the ethnic violence that has engulfed the northeastern state for about three months, news agency PTI reported.

It was a pleasant afternoon in 1994, but our minds were disturbed. We were on our way to a Kuki village that had been set on fire a few hours prior. Those were the days of the Kuki-Naga clashes….read more. 

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An anguished Supreme Court lashed out at the “lethargic” and “tardy” probe into the loss of human lives, dignity and properties during the ethic violence in Manipur, lamenting that the state has seen an “absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery for two months”, and summoning the state’s director general of police (DGP) on August 7 to furnish an explanation. Read more.

NDA partner Kuki People's Alliance (KPA) withdraws support from N Biren Singh government in Manipur, PTI reported. The Kuki People's Alliance has two MLAs in the Manipur Assembly, Kimneo Haokip Hangshing from Saikul and Chinlunthang from Singhat.

Manipur police, in a press note issued on twitter, have said that reports of looting of arms and ammunition from different police stations and armouries in the valley districts only on August 5 were ‘misleading’.

The Manipur Police and the 9th Assam Rifles reportedly engaged in an argument, with the former accusing the Indian Army-controlled soldiers of not allowing them to do their job in the violence-hit Bishnupur, a Meitei-dominated district, adjoining Churachandpur.