GoM failed HC orders to curb violence: Ex-CJ
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 08 2025: Former chief justice of the High Court of Manipur, Justice Siddharth Mridul has said that government of Manipur failed to fully comply with the court's directives to restore peace and law and order in the violence-hit state, despite repeated reminders from the judiciary.

Justice Mridul reflected on his tenure, the complex ethnic tensions in Manipur, and the limitations he faced as a judge, while discussing the ongoing crisis in a candid interview with Bar and Bench's Debayan Roy.

Justice Mridul, who previously served nearly 15 years as a judge of the Delhi High Court, took charge as chief justice of the High Court of Manipur in October 2023, at a time when the state was reeling from widespread ethnic violence.

"We did whatever we could and we ensured that the executive was constantly reminded to uphold the rule of law and make sure that ordinary people went about their lives in a safe and secure environment," he said in the second part of the interview series published by Bar and Bench.

However, he admitted that despite the High Court's directives, the government failed to bring the situation under control.

"The proof of the pudding lies in the eating.

Our orders were to make sure that they would restore law and order.

But that didn't happen," Justice Mridul said.

"So evidently, for reasons best known to the executive, they were unable to tackle the sporadic violence that erupted and continues to erupt in Manipur," he added.

Justice Mridul refrained from speculating whether the government's failure was deliberate or due to a careless attitude.

"I don't think I should comment on whether it was deliberate or the attitude was cavalier.

But the end result is that they were unable to restore peace and maintain law and order.

So in that sense, I can't say that they complied with our directions in total.

There were large gaps," he stated.

Regarding the roots of the ethnic tension, Justice Mridul pointed out longstanding issues around land ownership and socio-economic disparity.

He explained that the Meetei community, which comprises nearly half the state's population, occupies less than 10 per cent of the landmass in the valley and is barred from acquiring land in the hills, unlike the hill tribes.

"On the other hand, the Kukis, who are just about 14-15 per cent, can acquire land, not just in the hills, but in the plains as well.

So that has been a sore point - the bone of contention between the plains people and the hill people," he said.

He further noted that the High Court judgment directing the government to consider Scheduled Tribe status for the Meeteis was the spark that ignited the volatile situation.

Justice Mridul also mentioned the state's economic hardships, lack of industry, limited employment opportunities, and hyper-inflation as contributing factors to the unrest.

"Most bare necessities have to be flown into Manipur from other states, making them frightfully expensive.

They don't have enough money, and on the other hand, everything is very expensive.

All of this has unfortunately given rise to the current situation in Manipur," he observed.

Responding to a question about the delay in his appointment as chief justice, Justice Mridul confirmed that although he was recommended for elevation on July 4, 2023, he assumed office only on October 20 .

On being asked if some media reports suggesting that the delay was due to a lack of cooperation from the Manipur government was true, Justice Mridul said he had no knowledge of who caused the delay or why.

"I wouldn't hazard a guess on who sat on my files and for what reason my appointment was delayed.

I don't wish to get into that.

In any case, I'm not privy to it," he said.

Nonetheless, he emphasised that the delay did not affect his functioning and that judges must remain insulated from politics and executive actions.

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