Manipur violence: SC to pass orders on 25 August to facilitate functioning of Justice Gita Mittal panel

A panel headed by former judge Gital Mittal to oversee relief and rehabilitation of victims of violence in Manipur on Monday submitted three reports to the Supreme Court, including one on the need to upgrade the compensation scheme for the strife-torn people of the state. The Supreme Court said it will pass orders on Friday to facilitate functioning of the three-member panel. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the copy of the three reports be given to all lawyers concerned and directed advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for one of the victims, to collate suggestions for the panel. The bench said the Justice Mittal-led committee has filed three reports on issues such as loss of documents and the need for upgrade the Manipur compensation scheme on the lines of the National Legal Services Authority policy. The reports submitted by the Justice Mittal-led committee shows essential documents need to be re-issued and the Manipur victim compensation scheme needs an upgrade and a nodal administration expert be appointed, the bench said. On 7 August, the top court ordered setting up of a committee of three former women high court judges to oversee relief and rehabilitation of victims and compensation to them besides asking former Maharashtra police chief Dattatray Padsalgikar to monitor the probe in criminal cases. The court said the panel will be submitting reports to it directly. A bench said the committee will be headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Mittal and include Justices (retd) Shalini P Joshi, a former judge of the Bombay High Court, and Asha Menon, an ex-judge of the Delhi High Court. The bench is hearing around 10 petitions related to the spiralling violence, including those seeking court-monitored probe into cases, besides measures for relief and rehabilitation. More than 160 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence first broke out in the state on May 3 when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.