NEW DELHI: Expressing shock and serious displeasure over the 25 alleged unnatural deaths in relief camps set up for the victims and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the 2003 Manipur violence cases, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Manipur Chief Secretary to file a report.
"We direct the Chief Secretary of Manipur to submit a report about all the 25 unnatural deaths reported in the newspapers...along with a post-mortem report identifying the cause and what preventive steps have been taken to avoid the same. What preventive steps have been taken in (camps for internally displaced people)," said a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.
The bench ordered after hearing a batch of petitions concerning the investigation, protection, relief and rehabilitation of those affected by the Manipur ethnic clashes of 2023.
The violence in Manipur stemmed from the opposition of certain tribes to the demand for Scheduled Tribes status for the majority Meitei community.
The Supreme Court directed the Chief Secretary to file the detailed reply along with the post-mortem report.
The SC, in consultation with the State of Manipur and the High Courts of Manipur and Guwahati, had earlier, on July 24, proposed special courts for day-to-day trials in criminal cases arising from the ethnic violence.
The bench also earlier directed the CBI and state police to expedite the investigations and ensure victims get chargesheets. It asked the Centre and Manipur government to respond on the number and location of special courts.
The apex court said delays were adding to victims' suffering in cases arising from clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities that killed over 200 people.
The CBI told the court it had filed chargesheets in 21 cases, while the probe continued in 11 and four cases remained under investigation. The SITs investigating over 3,000 cases across eight districts reported that chargesheets had been filed in 301 cases and trials had commenced in ten.
The SC directed the state to extend full cooperation to the investigating agencies and directed the Union to compile details of all pending investigations and chargesheets so that it could assess the number of courts required.
According to the prosecution, the alleged violence in Manipur between the Hindu Meiteis and the tribal Kuki, who are Christians, erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023. Violence has spread across the entire state, and the Central government had to deploy paramilitary forces to bring the situation under control. The violence led to over 260 deaths and displaced thousands.