EEVFAM, HRA hail SC ruling
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 22 2022:
The Human Rights Alert (HRA) and the Extrajudicial Execu-tion Victim Families' Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) have welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling which asked the High Court of Manipur to decide within six months the issue of grant of sanction to prosecute army and armed forces personnel involved in extrajudicial killings in Manipur from 2000 to 2012 .
Speaking to media persons at HRA Kwakeithel office today, HRA executive director Babloo Loitongbam remarked that the order passed by Chief Justice UU Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi on October 20 would hopefully help in delivering justice in fake encounter cases which seemed to be making little progress for a long time.
Out of 1528 fake encounter cases, 39 FIRs were registered and trial of 37 cases were going on after the final reports were submitted.
As the authority concerned was not inclined to grant prosecution sanction in cases where army personnel were involved, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West forwarded a reference case to the High Court of Manipur in February 2021, Babloo said.
Even though it has been over 18 months since the reference case was submitted to the High Court, there has been little progress.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court directed the High Court to decide the case within six months, the HRA executive director said.
It is also laudable that the Supreme Court declined the CBI's plea to stop the SIT work after completion of the 39 cases against which FIRs were registered.
The Supreme Court made it clear that the SIT should continue its works until investigation into all fake encounter cases is completed, he said.
On November 15 last year, Chief Justice UU Lalit directed the authority concerned to pick up other fake encounter cases in addition to the 39 cases, Babloo said.
He then appealed to all concerned to submit documents and data of other left out fake encounter cases, if there is any, to the office of the HRA by November 5 .
HRA and EEVFAM may be contacted on the phone numbers 9774268988 and 8729812323 .
If any more data and documents on fake encounter cases are furnished to HRA and EEVFAM by November 5, the same would be submitted to the Supreme Court by November 15, Babloo added.