Fake encounter cases in Manipur SC seeks reports from Govts, NHRC
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India
New Delhi, July 13 2015 :
The Supreme Court today asked the Centre, Manipur Government and the National Human Rights Commission to submit a comprehensive report on alleged fake encounter cases in the State, including 62 such cases where FIRs have not even been lodged.
The Court also rapped the State Government for not doing enough in the matter, including providing compensation, and for maintaining it was a fact that these were encounters, whether "fake or genuine" .
"Tell us what you (Centre, NHRC and State Government) have done since 2012.Give us the latest report of 2015.We are not concerned as what happened in 2012," the Social Justice bench, comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit, said.
"These are not natural deaths then why you are keeping quiet.
Don't you think that this fact itself should have galvanized you," the bench said, adding that earlier a three-member panel was appointed under the chairmanship of Justice Santosh Hegde because the "facts were not clear" .
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Extra Judicial Execution Victims' Families Association, said, "in all these 62 cases, not a single FIR has been lodged against any of the accused" .
The bench, which has now fixed the PIL for further hearing on August 3, has asked Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, representing the Centre, and the lawyers of NHRC and the State Government to provide requisite information to the amicus curiae who, in turn, will prepare a comprehensive chart of cases for the perusal of court.
The Court also said there were 3-4 options before it, including transferring of the probes in these cases to CBI.
During the hearing, the bench also took strong note of objections raised by the ASG against the submission of the amicus curiae about the facts of the case.
When the amicus was giving details of encounter killings in Manipur, the ASG objected to her submission saying she should be clear about the facts and figures.
The bench took the ASG to task saying "here is the amicus who is helping the Court and providing details of the cases.
Then, you (ASG) give the names of the 1,528 persons killed.
You (ASG) cannot object like this" .
Earlier, the erstwhile UPA Government had told the apex Court that findings of the Supreme Court-appointed panel's report on extra-judicial killings in Manipur had been examined at the highest level.
The Central Government had said that it was absolutely committed that no fake encounter should take place in Manipur and was equally aggrieved by the incidents.
The committee, comprising former Supreme Court judge Hegde, ex-CEC JM Lyngdoh and a senior police officer, probing six cases of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur had come to conclusion that these were not genuine encounters and the victims, including a 12-year-old boy, did not have any criminal record.
In light of the committee's findings, the bench had asked the NHRC Chairperson to visit Manipur to examine how the Commission's guidelines were being implemented there.
The panel was set up to probe six cases of alleged extra- judicial killings in the North East State where a magisterial inquiry had raised questions on genuineness of the encounters.
The apex Court had appointed the panel on a PIL filed by the association of the families of the alleged victims, seeking setting up of a special investigation team and inquiry into around 1,528 such cases.
The association had alleged in its plea that over 2,000 odd extra-judicial killings have taken place in the State, but no one has been held guilty till date.
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