Manipur violence: SC panel of former women judges to monitor probe, humanitarian measures

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has announced that it will take efforts to restore sense of confidence and faith in rule of law in violence-hit Manipur while hearing a batch of petitions on Monday.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud announced that the court will contemplate appointing a committee of three former women High Court judges which will look into investigation and humanitatian measures like relief, remedial measures, compensation, rehabilitation etc.

The committee headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal include retired judges Asha Menon from Kerala and Shalini P Joshi from Pune.

The apex court said besides the judicial panel that will oversee relief and rehabilitation efforts among other things, senior police officers will be asked to supervise the investigation in criminal cases to be probed by the state SITs.

The bench said a detailed order will be uploaded on the apex court website later in the evening.

Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal will head the three-member committee of former judges.

Meanwhile, Manipur government proposed the apex court to set up Special Investigation Teams headed by the superintendent of police, at district level to probe sensitive cases, besides 11 cases which will be investigated by the CBI.

Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh also appeared before a bench headed by Chief justice D Y Chandrachud to answer queries on the ethnic violence and steps taken by the administration so far, besides the segregation of cases for the purposes of effective investigation.

Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the state government, submitted the report, sought by the apex court on August 1, on issues including the segregation of cases.

The government is handling the situation at a very mature level, the attorney general told the bench which also comprised justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

The hearing is underway.

On August 1, the top court said there was a complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in Manipur. It had rapped the state police for a tardy and lethargic probe of incidents of ethnic violence, especially those targeting women, and had summoned the DGP to answer its queries on August 7.

The Centre had urged the bench that instead of the two FIRs related to a video showing women being paraded naked by a mob, 11 out of 6,523 FIRs linked to violence against women and children may be transferred to the CBI and tried out of Manipur.

The bench is hearing around 10 petitions relating to the violence seeking reliefs, including court-monitored probe, into cases besides measures for rehabilitation and other reliefs.