Supreme Court Sets Up 3 Ex-HC Judges To Monitor Probe, Relief and Rehabilitation In Manipur Violence

The Supreme Court sets a high-powered committee of retired high court judges on Monday to oversee probes into ethnic conflicts in Manipur.

The committee will be led by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal and will comprise Justices (retd), Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon, according to a bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. It would oversee measures for relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of homesteads and places of worship.

The court ordered that adequate security be given to the committee led by Justice Mittal. The bench, which also included Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stated that the supreme court's endeavour is to restore confidence and faith in the rule of law in the state.

Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh appeared before the bench to answer questions on the ethnic violence and the steps the administration has taken to combat it so far. Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the state government, presented a report on problems such as case segregation, which the Supreme Court had requested on August 1.

On the investigation of rape and sexual assault cases, the Supreme Court ruled that five officials of at least Deputy SP rank be inducted into the CBI from various states. These officials will also work inside the CBI's infrastructure and administrative framework. The court has nominated ex-Maharashtra DGP Dattatrey Padsalgikar to oversee police investigations.
Around ten petitions concerning the rising violence are being heard by the bench, including those calling for a court-monitored investigation of the instances as well as measures for relief and rehabilitation. Over 160 people have died as a result of ethnic fighting between Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur over the past three months.