Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on August 7 announced in open court that the Supreme Court will appoint an all-women committee of three former High Court judges headed by Justice Gita Mittal, a former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, to provide the “healing touch” in violence-torn Manipur.
Other members of the broad-based committee would be Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, a retired Bombay High Court judge, and Justice Asha Menon, a former Delhi High Court judge.
“This will be a broad-based committee which will be constituted to supervise, intervene and monitor relief and rehabilitation, restoration of homesteads, religious places of worships, better relief work, etc,” CJI Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, said.
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Chief Justice Chandrachud said the court also intends to appoint retired Maharashtra cadre IPS officer Dattatray Padsalgikar, who had served in the National Investigation Agency, the Intelligence Bureau, and in Nagaland, to monitor the overall investigation of cases registered during the violence. Over 6,500 First Information Reports (FIR) have been registered from May to July in Manipur.
The Manipur government, represented by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, said it has transferred 11 FIRs concerning sexual violence committed against women, including the Thoubal sexual violence incident, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
As for the other cases, which would remain with the Manipur Police, the State government said it has formed 42 Special Investigation Teams (SIT).
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The top court, however, said it wanted eyes from outside the State to keep an eye on the State Police probe into these cases, which include serious offences like murder, arson, etc.
The apex court said it would direct Directors General of Police (DGP) from six States to name six DIG rank officers. These DIG officers would take charge of six SITs each and monitor their work.
Similarly, the court said it would enforce multiple layers of monitoring of the investigation.
In the case of the 11 FIRs, the court said it would order five Deputy Superintendent of Police/ Superintendent of Police-level officers from other States to be made a part of the CBI.
“They will be nominated by their State DGPs. They will be deputed to the CBI. They will carry on the investigation under the supervision of a Joint Director of the CBI,” the Chief Justice explained.
A recent State Government status report had said there had been 150 deaths, including 59 deaths between May 3 and May 5. Another 28 people lost their lives between May 27 and May 29. Thirteen more died in the violence on June 9.
The report showed that 502 people were injured in the clashes. There were 5,107 cases of arson. It said that 252 people had been arrested, with another 12,740 arrests made as a preventive measure.
