"Don't Force Us..." Supreme Court Slams Manipur Over Deaths At Relief Camps

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over alleged unnatural deaths and cases of sexual harassment in Manipur's relief camps. Reprimanding the state government, the court ordered the Chief Secretary of Manipur to file a detailed report on all 25 suspicious deaths, including post-mortem reports and documents related to the causes of death.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana was hearing petitions concerning the investigation and proceedings of sexual violence cases linked to the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur.

Citing a report by the committee headed by former Jammu & Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal, the court raised serious questions regarding the safety and dignity of displaced persons living in relief camps.

The court also questioned the Manipur Advocate General regarding information sought by the committee on July 4 concerning the 25 unnatural deaths of internally displaced persons in relief camps.

Taking a stern view, the Chief Justice told the state government: "Tell your Chief Secretary not to force the court to pass an order. Inform us what steps you have taken."

The Supreme Court directed the Manipur government to provide full details of all 25 suspicious deaths in the relief camps as reported in the media.

According to the report noted in the court's order, 640 deaths have been recorded in relief camps across eight districts. Post-mortems were conducted in only 20 of these cases, even though criminal cases had been registered.

The court also questioned why only 20 post-mortems were performed and why compensation of merely Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 was awarded in many instances.

Directing the Manipur Legal Services Authority to take immediate action, the Supreme Court ordered it to ensure that FIRs are registered for all suspicious deaths and that proper investigations into the causes of death are conducted.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that 42 Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been constituted across eight districts. A total of 3,020 cases are under investigation; charge sheets have been filed in 302 cases, and closure reports in 1,583 cases.

Investigations are ongoing in 1,135 cases, while trials have commenced in 33 cases.

Counsel representing the victims stated that the special court in Guwahati is hearing cases only two days a week.

In response, Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked that hearings held two days a week would still help advance the trials, but the possibility of establishing two special courts to hear the CBI cases should also be explored.

The court directed the Central Government to consider immediately addressing the requirements of the Guwahati High Court in this regard.