Colombo: On Monday, the Supreme Court demanded that a comprehensive structure be developed to address violence against women in the state of Manipur and inquired as to the number of First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in such cases in the state since May.
When appearing before a bench presided over by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that the Union of India had no issue to the Supreme Court of India overseeing the probe into the violence in Manipur.
The panel, which also includes Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, is currently considering a number of petitions related to the recent unrest in Manipur.
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing the two women who were shown being paraded naked on camera in Manipur on May 4, began by saying that they have filed a petition in the case.
The trial is now underway.
On July 20, the Supreme Court said it was "deeply disturbed" by a video showing two naked women being paraded through conflict-torn Manipur, adding that it is "simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy" to use women as weapons of war.
After viewing the footage, a court headed by India's top judge ordered the federal government and Manipur's state government to take immediate corrective, rehabilitative, and preventative measures and report back to the court on their progress.
Having "zero tolerance" for "any crimes against women," on July 27 the Centre notified the apex court that it has moved the investigation into a case involving two women being displayed naked in troubled Manipur to the CBI.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) submitted an affidavit through Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla asking the Supreme Court to move the trial out of Manipur so that it may be concluded more quickly. So far, seven suspects have been apprehended in this investigation. Since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was staged in the hill areas in opposition to the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe designation, scores of people have been murdered and hundreds injured.—Inputs from Agencies