SC To Hear Manipur Violence Petitions: A hearing was held in the Supreme Court on Monday (July 3) on the petitions filed regarding Manipur violence. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court directed the Manipur government to file a fresh status report detailing the steps taken to ensure rehabilitation, improve the law and order situation. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Manoj Mishra listed the petitions on this issue for hearing on July 10.
The bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, to file a fresh status report. “It should contain details like rehabilitation camps, steps taken to maintain law and order and recovery of weapons,” the bench said. In a brief hearing, the top law officer gave details of the deployment of security forces and the recent law and order situation. He said that the duration of curfew in the state has now been reduced from 24 hours to five hours.
Many petitions in the Supreme Court regarding Manipur
According to SG Mehta, 114 companies of Police, Indian Reserve Battalion and CAPF are also deployed in the state. He said that senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the Kuki groups, should not give a ‘communal colour’ to the matter. Gonsalves argued that the militants appeared on a news program and said they would ‘wipe out the Kuki groups’ but no action was taken against them. He alleged that the violence against the Kuki groups was “state-sponsored”.
The Supreme Court has several petitions regarding the status of Manipur. These include a petition filed by an MLA of the ruling BJP challenging the High Court’s order granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community.
In another petition, a SIT (Special Investigation Team) has been demanded to investigate the violence in the northeastern state. This petition has been filed on behalf of a tribal NGO.
Supreme Court hearing on July 17
One of the NGOs, ‘Manipur Tribal Forum’, has moved the apex court seeking army protection for the minority Kuki tribals in the state and prosecution of communal groups attacking them.
On June 20, a vacation bench headed by Justice Surya Kant declined urgent hearing of the petition, saying it was an issue of law and order that the administration should look into.
Appearing on behalf of the NGO, Gonsalves said that despite the assurance of the state government, 70 tribals have been killed in ethnic violence in the state. The Solicitor General opposed the request for urgent hearing, saying that the security agencies are trying their best to stop the violence and restore normalcy.
He said that the main matter related to the Manipur High Court’s order granting Scheduled Tribe status to the majority Meitei community has been listed for hearing in the Supreme Court on July 17.
Till now many people have lost their lives in the clashes.
More than 120 people have lost their lives in the clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities in the state. Violence first broke out on May 3 when a tribal solidarity march was organized in the hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The population of Manipur consists of about 53 percent of the Meitei community and they mostly live in the Imphal Valley. The tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute 40 per cent of the population and live in the hilly districts.
In a March 27 order of the Manipur High Court, the state government was asked to send a recommendation to the Center within four weeks on the demand for Scheduled Tribe status to the majority community.
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