The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur as a “complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery” The top court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, pulled up the Manipur government and police over the delay in registering FIRs in the violence as it assembled to hear the petitions of the victims of the horrifying viral video in which two tribal women were seen paraded naked by a mob.
“The situation was so bad for two months that it was not conducive for FIRs. There was an absolute breakdown of machinery... There was no law, you couldn't even register an FIR, and police couldn't arrest,” the CJI said.
"If law and order machinery cannot protect people what happens to citizens," he asked.
The bench, also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, was hearing a batch of pleas regarding the ethnic clashes that have marred the northeastern state for the past two months.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and state government, told the Supreme Court that a total of 6,523 FIRs have been lodged in connection to the ethnic violence in Manipur. Seven people, including the juvenile in the video case, have been arrested, he added.
However, he admitted that the FIR in connection with the incident of women paraded naked was registered only after the video was released.
“One thing is very clear, there has been a long delay in the registration of FIRs,” CJI Chandrachud said. “The investigation is so lethargic… arrests not made, statements not recorded.”
The Supreme Court has asked the government to prepare a statement setting out the date of occurrence, date of registration of zero FIRs, date of registration of regular FIRs, date on which witness statements have been recorded, date on which statements under section 164 CrPC have been recorded, and date of arrests made.
The court has also allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to lead the probe in the sexual assault viral video case and record the statements of the victims. It asked the Manipur DGP to be present on Monday when it takes up pleas SC asks to be present on Monday when it takes up further pleas on the ethnic violence.
In Monday’s hearing, the top court had asked the Centre and state government to fetch details regarding FIRs filed in relation to Manipur violence, the arrests made and the steps taken for the rehabilitation of the victims. It had asked the Centre to return with the details today.
Earlier, on June 20, the apex court had taken cognisance of the viral video of the May 4 incident. It had directed the Centre and state government to inform it of the action taken against the perpetrators. The court had warned that if no action was taken soon, then it would step in.
