The bail plea has brought renewed attention to the slow progress of the trial in the May 2023 Manipur incident, which triggered nationwide outrage after footage of the assault surfaced on social media.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi/ November 3: More than three years after three Kuki-Zo women were paraded naked on the streets in Manipur on May 2023, one of the accused, Yumlembam Jiban Singh, has now approached the Supreme Court seeking bail, citing the slow progress of the trial despite repeated directions for an expedited trial.
Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing for Singh, told a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana that the trial had made little progress despite several judicial orders directing the proceedings to be expedited.
Farasat referred to the Supreme Court’s October 5 order directing that the evidence of all three victims be recorded without further delay. However, only one victim has been fully examined so far. The examination-in-chief of the third victim has concluded, but her cross-examination is still pending.
“Despite two or three orders since July directing expedition, only one and a half witnesses have been examined till date. That is the reality on the ground,” Farasat submitted.
Additional Solicitor General Raha Thakre, representing the prosecution, told the court that the trial court had fixed consecutive hearing dates on October 13, 16, 18 and 19 to record the remaining evidence. He said the examination-in-chief of the third victim had been completed and her cross-examination would be taken up on the scheduled dates.
Farasat, however, argued that earlier hearing dates had also failed to produce substantial progress because of various interruptions. On one occasion, he said, the interpreter had contracted dengue.
“The trial is not proceeding. That is the challenge,” he told the Bench.
READ: Kuki-Zo Killings: Where Are the Drones, Sniffer Dogs and Choppers, Manipur Police?
Advocate D.P. Singh, also appearing for the prosecution, said consecutive dates had now been arranged to ensure that the witnesses’ examination was completed.
The Chief Justice recorded the submissions that only one victim had been fully examined and that the cross-examination of another remained pending. The Bench directed the prosecution to ensure that the third victim was produced before the trial court on the scheduled dates so that her evidence could be recorded.
The court ordered Singh’s bail application to be listed thereafter.
Manipur: The May 2023 incident
The case relates to the May 4, 2023 incident in Manipur Thoubal district, when a mob allegedly stripped and paraded three Kuki-Zo women naked during the ethnic violence. Two of the women were allegedly gang-raped. The father and brother of one of the victims were also allegedly killed.
The Manipur incident triggered nationwide outrage in July 2023 after a video showing two of the women being paraded naked surfaced on social media.
The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the case and transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The trial was subsequently shifted to Guwahati.
Singh is accused of recording the video of the women being paraded and sharing it with other accused persons, leading to its wider circulation. He was arrested on July 20, 2023.
In January 2026, a special CBI court in Guwahati framed charges against six accused, including Singh. The charges include murder, rape, gang rape and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Supreme Court had previously directed the prosecution to ensure that all three Kuki-Zo wmen were examined without further delay. The latest proceedings once again brought the slow pace of the trial involving Manipur violence into focus.
