New Delhi: Continuing with its scathing remarks against the administration and security establishments in Manipur on Tuesday as well, the Supreme Court said that from the beginning of May till the end of July, there was a complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in the northeastern state hit by deadly ethnic violence.
The apex court remarked that if the law is unable to protect the people what are they left with? It also questioned the state government regarding action taken against policemen who handed over survivors seen in the viral video to the crowd.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud that the government proposes to transfer 11 FIRs in connection with crimes against women to the CBI. The bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said there was a complete breakdown of law and order and the constitutional machinery in the state between May and July.
The Chief Justice said there is no law and order left in Manipur and it is absolutely clear that the state police are incapable of investigation and they have lost complete control of law and order, and if the law is unable to protect the people what are they left with? The Chief Justice said that the situation was so bad for two months that it was not conducive for the registration of FIRs and there was no law.
"You couldn't even register an FIR, police couldn't arrest," the CJI pointed out. Mehta said while he is resisting saying anything about why coordinated attacks happened, the moment the central government realised the situation, the case was transferred to CBI. To this, Chief Justice asked Mehta if 50 (cases) go to CBI, what about the 5500 then? State police are incapable of investigating and there is no law and order left, he said.
After Mehta mentioned the transfer of 11 FIRs to the CBI, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta said there was a twelfth FIR in the state, which is of a woman burnt alive. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi, said there was a case of a young boy. The top court said the information provided by the Manipur government in the current status report was inadequate and stressed on bifurcation of the FIRs in accordance with the nature of offences.
While examining the state’s status report, the bench pointed out that there was a case in which a woman was dragged out of her car and lynched along with her son by a mob in early May and the FIR was registered after the third week in July. The bench noted that there was another case where a man was killed and his house was set on fire, and in this case, the FIR was registered after two months.
According to the status report, 150 deaths have occurred in the violence-hit state which include 59 deaths between May 3 and May 5 and 28 persons lost their lives between May 27 and May 29. And, there were over 5000 cases of arson, and 502 people were injured in the violence. The report said out of 6500 cases, 11 FIRs involve crimes against women and children, which is subject to further verification, and seven arrests have been made in these 11 cases.
Mehta said 250 arrests have been made in the FIRs registered and 12,000 arrests as preventive measures. The Chief Justice said the statement of women survivors, who were seen in the viral video, says that she was handed over by the police to the mob. He asked Mehta: "Have any arrests been made of the policemen? Did the DGP care to find out in all these months? What has he done? It is his duty, did they interrogate the police officers?"
The apex court, calling the investigation into the cases tardy, directed that DGP Manipur should be present before the court on the next date of hearing and be in a position to answer the queries of the court. The top court is likely to take up the matter on Monday. The Manipur government informed the top court that out of over 6,000 FIRs registered since May 3, 11 FIRs concern crimes against women.
