Solicitor General of India (SGI) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur government, in connection with the violence in Manipur informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the communal unrest issue would be addressed and that remedial measures taken on a proactive basis and protect places of worship.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala emphasized that due arrangements in relief camps, and that the state must take all necessary precautions for the rehabilitation of displaced persons, and to protect places of worship.
"Solicitor general has assured that concerns flagged will be addressed and remedial measures will be taken on a proactive basis. We emphasise that due arrangements be made in relief camps in terms of food, medical; taking all necessary precautions for the rehabilitation of displaced persons, and protecting places of religious worship," the court said in its order.
SG Mehta had filed a report outlining several measures taken to address the situation in Manipur.
According to Mehta, 52 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 101 companies of Assam Rifles were deployed to address the law and order situation in the state.
Flag marches were conducted in disturbed areas, a senior police officer was appointed as security advisor and a senior officer from the Central government was made chief secretary.
Further, peace meetings were held, relief camps were opened for displaced persons and the movement of stranded individuals was facilitated by security forces.
Mehta claimed that these efforts have resulted in no reported violence in the last two days, and that the situation is returning to normalcy. He added that curfew in the state was relaxed for three to four hours with no untoward incident, which further indicated that the situation is under control.
The Supreme Court was hearing three petitions concerning the ongoing clashes and resultant violence in Manipur.
The incidents stemmed from the opposition of certain tribes to the demand by the majority Meitei community to be granted Scheduled Tribe status.
On April 19, the High Court of Manipur had ordered the state government to consider the same within four weeks.
One of the pleas before the top court, filed by the Hill Areas Committee Chairperson and BJP MLA Dinganglung Gangmei, has challenged the order of the Manipur High Court on Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community.
The petition stated that there is no proposal for the inclusion of Meiteis pending with the Central government, and that no such proposal has ever been sent by the state to the Central government.
Another public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Manipur Tribal Forum prayed for directions to the Central and state governments to safely evacuate the Manipuri tribals who had fled to Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) camps.
The PIL alleged that the attacks on tribal communities in Manipur has the full support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in the state as well as at the Centre.
Also Read: Evacuation of stranded people continues in violence-hit Manipur
