NEW DELHI: Taking note of the tardy pace by the investigating machinery in the strife-torn Manipur and remarking that lapses in the process do not bode well for the state, the Supreme Court, in a detailed order uploaded on Thursday, directed former DGP Maharashtra Dattatray Padsalgikar to supervise the investigation that is under the CBI in the 11 FIRs dealing with offences against women and children and the 42 state appointed SITs.
The court has also directed him to probe into the allegations of certain police officers colluding with perpetrators of sexual violence. A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra has also directed the MHA to place Dy SP rank five officers out of which one should be women at least of Dy SP rank from the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and GNCTD.
Expressing anguish with regards to the manner in which women were subjected to grave acts of sexual violence in the course of sectarian strife, the bench in the 36-page order has tasked the three-member committee comprising former women HC judges Gita Mittal, Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon to enquire into the nature of violence against women that occurred in the state from all available sources.
Additionally, the committee has been tasked to submit a report on the steps which are required to meet the needs of the survivors including measures for dealing with rape trauma, and providing social, economic and psychological support.
The court has asked the former DGP and three-member committee to submit a report in two months. With a view to ensuring fair probe by the 42 state SITs, the court also asked the MHA to make available one police officer from Rajasthan, MP, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and GNCTD and also deputy 14 SP officers to be in charge of the SITs.