Veteran politician O Joy on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning him how the Central government was meting out peace building measures in Manipur when “they had failed to even properly maintain the state’s apex court.”
There should be five judges and a full time chief justice in the Manipur High Court, but the centre has failed to fill in these numbers till now, resulting in insurmountable pending cases, he said.
He maintained that the Centre’s failure to even uphold the apex judicial institute showcased the Centre’s disregard for justice in Manipur.
Speaking to the Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul, O Joy stated that as many as 36 election petition cases and 5,519 other cases were still pending due to the lack in number of judges.
“Modi’s tall claims of standing with the people of Manipur is a political fluke when the state’s justice has been left dismantled,” he said.
He stated an application was submitted to the Union Law minister in March regarding the vacancy but no response was received.
He pointed out that under section 86(7) of Representation of People Act the election petition cases are supposed to be closed within six months. But the act has been grossly violated in the case of Manipur, he added.
He further highlighted Acting chief justices are.supposed to maintain their roles for only one month which was not applied in the case of Manipur.
He lambasted the Central and state government for failing to take cognisance of the issue and maintained that their failure had stripped the people of their basic rights to freedom and justice.
“For the prime minister to claim he is with the people amid these contradictions seriously makes the people wonder of the Center’s position on the Manipur crisis,” he said.
He demanded authorities concerned to fill in the judges vacancy at Manipur High Court and give the people their basic rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
