New Delhi:The Supreme Court Monday declined to entertain a PIL by Mayaglambam Bobby Meetei, an engineer, seeking a special investigation team (SIT) probe into narco-cultivation and violence fuelled by illegal immigration in Manipur, holding that that petition blames one particular community for the strife.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said this petition is very difficult to entertain because it places blame on one community. The Chief Justice said the petition seeks a direction to declare a group responsible and also framing SIT to investigate violence fuelled by immigrants.
The Chief Justice said entertaining the plea will amount to branding a particular segment of people in Manipur as terrorists, while expressing disinclination to consider the petition. “We aren't going to do that," said the bench.
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The bench noted the petitioner has brought everything under one petition -- SIT probe into violence fuelled by immigrants, probe by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), probe into narco deforestation – while asking senior advocate Madhavi Divan, representing the petitioner, to come back raising a specific prayer.
The bench said, “You can come with a more specific petition... This petition has everything from violence to narcotics to deforestation. Can Article 32 control that?”
Divan pressed that a long-lasting solution is required. The Chief Justice the court is already dealing with a batch of petitions connected with Manipur violence and if the petitioner wants he could intervene there. Divan said that those petitions are on the violence in the state and stressed that drug problem is a serious problem and there is a parallel economy running, while pointing out the need to have an independent fact-finding probe. Divan said what is smouldering below will not vanish and there is poppy cultivation. The Chief Justice said these are not judicially amenable prayers. Divan agreed to withdraw the petition.
