Centre Ready for SC-Monitored Probe into Manipur Viral Video Case

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 2nd Aug. The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday called for evolving a broad mechanism to deal with violence against women in strife-torn Manipur and inquired as to how many FIRs had been filed in such incidents in the state since May.

Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed a bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that the Union of India has no objections to the Supreme Court monitoring the probe into the Manipur tragedy.

The panel, which also includes Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, is hearing a slew of petitions related to the unrest in Manipur. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is representing the two women seen in a May 4 video being paraded naked in Manipur, stated at the outset that they had filed a plea in the matter.

The hearing in the case is currently underway. The Supreme Court stated on July 20 that it was “deeply disturbed” by a video showing two women being paraded naked in strife-torn Manipur, and that using women as instruments of violence is “simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy.” Taking note of the video, a bench led by the Chief Justice of India instructed the Centre and the Manipur government to take prompt corrective, rehabilitative, and preventive measures and to keep the court informed of their progress.

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.