New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Manipur government on a plea by two Manipuri women, one of whom claimed her clothes were torn by the mob and she was paraded but police did not come to her aid, seeking direction to form a web-portal by an amicus curiae to allow the displaced people to upload their medical documents for claiming reimbursement.
The matter was listed before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud. The petition has been filed by two Manipuri women through advocate Amrita Sarkar. The top court issued notice on the plea. The plea contended during the sectarian violence in the state mother of the first petitioner and her brother was beaten to death by a mob of the Meitei community and her father registered an FIR on May 20.
The plea said, “Petitioners were brutally tortured, and their family members killed before their eyes.....women who were also part of the mob…..Due to the violence, Petitioner No.2 has suffered fractures in her hands and grave injuries on her head”.
It said, “ Petitioner No.2’s clothes were torn by the mob and she was made to parade till Deputy Commissioner’s building in Imphal where the police were standing but nobody came to her aid. After great difficulty, the Petitioners have reached Delhi wherein both the petitioners till date have been receiving medical treatment”.
The plea contended that the petitioners, who have escaped from the violence with nothing on them are continuously suffering severe mental pain and agony and also other similarly placed victims have been continuously suffering due to the violence till today. “With no source of income and having no place to return to Manipur, it is humbly submitted before this Hon’ble Court that an online portal may be directed to be formed by an Amicus Curiae or any authority as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit to allow the release family pension (central/state) of Petitioners and similarly placed victims of violence on an urgent basis sans the physical verification aspect”, said the plea.
The plea contended that there have been cases where people who have escaped the violence of the State of Manipur, have attempted to lodge zero FIRs, however, there has been resistance from the local police to lodge the same. “It is therefore, humbly submitted that appropriate guidelines may be formulated directing the local police to lodge the zero FIRs even if immediate transfers of FIRs are not possible or this Hon’ble Court may be pleased to direct the formation of a web portal by an Amicus Curiae or any authority to allow the victims to upload their complaints/FIRs for the purposes of investigation/compensation and further action in the future”, said the plea.
