Web Portal For Victims Of Manipur Violence: Apex Court Issues Notice On Plea By Two Women Who Allegedly Faced Mob Brutality

The Supreme Court today issued notice in a Writ Petition filed by two women who were allegedly subjected to the brutality of mob violence in Manipur, seeking an investigation into the killing of the mother and brother of the first Petitioner and additionally, direction to establish a web portal that will enable individuals who have fled Manipur due to the violence to upload their complaints, FIRs, medical documents, and applications for releasing family pensions.

The Bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra issued notice in the Writ Petition. The Chief Justice, seeking responses from the Respondent, adjourned the proceedings to October 13, 2023. The Bench also directed that the Petition be grouped with the main batch of cases related to Manipur Violence.

In the Petition filed through the Advocate-on-Record Amrita Sarkar along with Advocate Siam Phaipi, it is submitted that during the violence, the family members of the Petitioners i.e., the mother and the brother of Petitioner No.1, were beaten to death allegedly by a mob of Meitei Community.

"Petitioners were brutally tortured, and their family members killed before their eyes. The women who were also part of the mob was hitting the one year old nephew of Petitioner No.1.", reads the Writ Petition. It is also stated that due to the violence, Petitioner No.2 suffered fractures in her hands and grave injuries on her head.

It has also been stated that Petitioners and other people from the said community who have escaped from the State of Manipur to other states are facing severe economic burdens to re-establish and recover from both mental and physical injuries.

Claiming that they have no source of income or place to return to in Manipur, the Petitioners seek an online portal which will allow the release of the family pension (central/state) of Petitioners and similarly placed victims of violence on an urgent basis sans the physical verification. According to the Petitioners, this will allow the people who have fled Manipur due to the violence to upload their medical documents for claiming reimbursement and also upload their complaints for the purposes of investigation/compensation and further action.

The Petitioners are also requesting a directive from the Government, urging hospitals to provide urgent medical treatment free of cost. Additionally, they seek reimbursement or payment of fees for private hospital services and the cost of emergency flights. "The abovementioned reliefs are of utmost importance, in order to safeguard and to further the fundamental rights of the Petitioners as well as of several people who have been targeted in the ongoing violence in Manipur and who have been uprooted from their homeland," reads the Petition.

Further, in the Petition it is submitted that there has been a complete breakdown of trust amongst the general population about the authority before whom they should go seeking redressal of their grievances. The Petitioners have also stated that "There has been a complete breakdown of state machinery in the State of Manipur" and that "Petitioners have been denied basic human rights and right to life and livelihood like several Kuki-Zo Tribal people in the country."

Recently, the Supreme Court constituted a committee of 3 retired women Judges to look into matters other than investigation and appointed a former IPS officer to oversee the investigations in Manipur. With respect to the state investigation into cases which are not transferred to the CBI, the Court said that the around 42 SITs constituted by the State will have an inspector from other states. The Court said that the SITs will be supervised by DIGs from other states.

Similarly, the Supreme Court had strongly criticized the State of Manipur for its "lethargic and tardy investigation" into the offences arising from the communal violence, after perusing the status report indicating the total number of FIRs registered and the action taken thereon.

Cause Title: XXX and Anr v. the State Of Manipur [W.P.(C) No. 823/2023]