The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the “lethargic” pace of the investigation in Manipur and said that there is an “absolute breakdown of law and order machinery” in the state.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud remarked that the investigation has been marred by a lack of progress, with no arrests made despite significant time having passed.
Observing that the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur has raised questions about the functioning of constitutional machinery, the top court asked the Director General of Police (DGP) to appear before it in person at 2 pm on August 7 (Monday).
CJI DY Chandrachud pointed out that the probe had been remarkably lethargic, with little to no headway made in terms of arrests or concrete results. The top court said that the state police is “incapable” of conducting the investigation into the matter. It also questioned why only seven arrests have been made so far despite registering 6,000 FIRs.
Conflicts between ethnic groups have been raging in Manipur since May 3. 160 people have died and others have been displaced as a result of the violence. Two of the women who were paraded naked filed petitions before the bench made up of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra over the violence in Manipur.
The court noted that the situation in the northeastern state has led to an erosion of public trust in the efficacy of the legal system.
