The Supreme Court criticises Manipur for the deaths at relief camps, saying, “Don’t Force Us…”

Concerns about reported unexplained deaths and instances of sexual harassment in Manipur’s relief camps were voiced by the Supreme Court on Thursday. The Chief Secretary of Manipur was asked by the court to submit a comprehensive report on all 25 suspicious deaths, including post-mortem reports and records pertaining to the causes of death, in order to reprimand the state administration.

Petitions regarding the investigation and processes of sexual violence charges connected to the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur were being heard by a bench made up of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana. The court expressed grave concerns over the safety and dignity of displaced people residing in relief camps, citing a report by the committee led by former Chief Justice Gita Mittal of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court.

The Manipur Advocate General was also questioned by the court about the information that the committee had requested on July 4 regarding the 25 unexplained deaths of internally displaced people 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 Manipur government was ordered by the Supreme Court to furnish complete details of all 25 suspicious deaths in the relief camps that were reported in the media. 640 deaths have been reported in relief camps spread across eight districts, according to the report mentioned in the court’s ruling. Only 20 of these cases had post-mortems performed, despite the fact that criminal proceedings had been filed.

The court also questioned why only 20 post-mortems were carried out and why, in many cases, compensation of only Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 was granted. The Supreme Court directed the Manipur Legal Services Authority to take prompt action, including registering FIRs for all suspicious deaths and conducting appropriate investigations into the causes of death.

42 Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been established throughout eight districts, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court during the hearing. Charge papers have been filed in 302 of the 3,020 cases under investigation, and closure reports have been filed in 1,583 of those cases. 33 cases have started trials, and 1,135 cases are still under investigation. The victims’ attorney said that the Guwahati special court only hears cases twice a week.

Chief Justice Surya Kant responded by saying that while holding hearings two days a week would still aid in the progression of the proceedings, it would also be beneficial to look into the potential of setting up two special courts to handle CBI cases. The court ordered the Central Government to think about swiftly addressing the Guwahati High Court’s needs in this regard.