SC seeks broad mechanism to deal with violence against women in Manipur

The Supreme Court has called for a broad mechanism to be evolved to deal with violence against women in strife-torn Manipur.

The court on Monday (July 31) asked how many FIRs have been registered in incidents of assault on women in the state since May.

The Bench, comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, is hearing a batch of petitions concerning the violence in Manipur.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the Bench that the government has no objection if the apex court monitors the investigation into the Manipur violence.

At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the two women who were seen in a May 4 video being paraded naked in Manipur, said they have filed a petition in the matter.

The hearing in the matter is underway.

SC directive to state, Centre

The apex court on July 20 observed that it was “deeply disturbed” by the video, saying that using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is “simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy”.

Taking suo-motu cognisance of the video, a Bench headed by the CJI directed the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate remedial, rehabilitative, and preventive steps and apprise it of the action taken.

On July 27, the Centre informed the top court that it had transferred the probe into the video-related case to the CBI, saying the government has “zero tolerance towards any crimes against women”.

Also read: Help me see husband, son’s bodies: Mother of woman paraded naked in Manipur urges Oppn MPs

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in an affidavit filed through Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, also urged the top court to transfer the trial outside Manipur for its conclusion in a time-bound manner. Seven people have been arrested in the case so far.

Scores of people have been killed, several hundred injured, and some 60,000 internally displaced since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.

(With agency inputs)