Manipur Violence Hearing: SC Pulls Up Police For Delay In Zero FIR

The Supreme Court on Monday called for evolving a broad mechanism to deal with violence against women in strife-torn Manipur and asked how many FIRs have been registered in such incidents in the state since May.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that the central government has no objection if the apex court monitors the investigation into the Manipur violence.

The bench, also comprising justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, is hearing a batch of petitions concerning the violence in Manipur. The hearing in the matter is underway.

Top updates on Manipur violence hearing in Supreme Court:

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the two women who were seen in a May 4 video being paraded naked in Manipur, said they have filed a petition in the matter.

Two women survivors of the assault opposed the CBI probe and transfer of trial to Assam. The Centre clarified it’s only for the SC to decide where the trial should occur and that the Centre hasn’t chosen any state.

“The viral video case isn’t the only incident of violence against women in the state. There must be a wider mechanism in place to prevent such incidents and take action,” the SC said.

AG R Venkataramani to the court, “I will personally monitor the CBI probe. That’s the kind of assurance I am ready to make.”

Kapil Sibal said, “We want a court-monitored SIT instead of the CBI.”

“SG Tushar Mehta said, “The Centre has no objection if the Supreme Court monitors the CBI probe.”

Senior advocate Indira Jaising argued for a high-powered committee to visit Manipur and record statements of the survivors. She added the SC could decide the future course of action based on that report.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves pressed for an SIT comprising retired senior police officers. He claimed that there is a conspiracy to commit rapes, adding there have been 16 such instances. He requested the SC not to include any cop from Manipur in the SIT and oppose a CBI probe.

They also argued for intervenors. “Lodging of FIRs can’t be an end to the criminal procedure,” advocate Vrinda Grover emphasised. She submitted that there was an incident of two Kuki women working in a carwash at Imphal getting raped and killed. The family is in relief camps and everything has stopped after the registration of FIRs, she added.

Grover claimed that there is targeted violence against the Kuki women. to which the SG objected.

The Supreme Court pulled up the Manipur police over time taken to register a zero FIR in the case. The court said there can’t be any justification for not registering a zero FIR and asked what stopped them from registering an FIR for 14 days.

The court asked the Manipur government to come back tomorrow at 2pm with details of FIRs filed since May 3, arrests made, and action taken in the case.

‘Deeply disturbed by the video’: SC

The Supreme Court on July 20 observed that it was “deeply disturbed” by the video of two women being paraded naked in strife-torn Manipur, saying that using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is “simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy”.

Taking cognisance of the video, a bench headed by the chief justice of India directed the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate remedial, rehabilitative and preventive steps and apprise it of the action taken.

On July 27, the Centre informed the top court that it has transferred to the CBI the probe into a case related to two women being paraded naked in strife-torn Manipur, saying the government has “zero tolerance towards any crimes against women”.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in an affidavit filed through its Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, also urged the top court to transfer the trial outside Manipur in the case for the conclusion of the trial in a time-bound manner. Seven people have been arrested in the case so far.

Scores of people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.