New Delhi: Hearing a slew of petitions on the violence that broke out in Manipur earlier this month, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the state to file a fresh report on all the relief and rehabilitation efforts made thus far.
Addressing the recent violence in the Northeastern state, the Centre and the State government told the Supreme Court that a status report has been filed and the situation has improved in the state.
The Supreme Court observed that maintaining law and order is a state subject and as the apex court, it will ensure that the political executive does not turn a blind eye on the matter.
Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the apex court that the intention is to restore peace in the state. He said a total of 315 relief camps manned by district police and CAPF have been established. The state government has sanctioned a contingency fund of Rs 3 crores for relief measures. Close to 46,000 people have received help so far, SG Mehta added.
The apex court also took a strong view against the Manipur High Court’s order asking the state government to submit the recommendation to give Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meetei/Meitei community.
“We have to stay the order of the Manipur HC. It is completely factually wrong and we gave time to Justice Muralidharan to remedy his error and he did not..we have to take a strong view against it now,” Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, according to Bar & Bench.
Earlier this month, dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured after violent clashes broke out in several parts of the Northeastern state. The violence first erupted during the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM). The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the state’s Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive.
In its April 19th order hearing a petition filed by the Meitei Tribe Union seeking Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the majority-Meitei community in Manipur state, the Manipur High Court observed that a decision on the issue had so far not taken place due to the negligence of the state government which has till date, not sent a recommendation to the Centre for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list.
Disposing the case, the high court had ordered the Manipur government to “consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, expeditiously, preferably within a period four weeks” from the date of the order.
Agencies

KR Desk