The Supreme Court made a strong observation on Monday, stating that the incident of sexual violence against two women in Manipur could not be justified by highlighting similar incidents happening in other states.
The comments were passed by the Bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, while hearing a bunch of petitions related to the ethnic violence in Manipur.
Advocate Bansuri Swaraj, appearing in an intervention application, contended that mobs had paraded women naked in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. She sought hearing of those incidents along with the Manipur incident.
While acknowledging that crimes against women were occurring in West Bengal and other states as well, the Apex Court noted that the situation in Manipur was different and could not be justified by comparing it to other incidents.
The Bench further said that it was dealing with an ‘unprecedented magnitude’ of violence against women during the communal and sectarian clashes, which were still going on in the state of Manipur.
The bench was hearing a batch of pleas filed regarding the outbreak of violence in Manipur including the plea by two women from the Kuki tribe who were paraded naked by a mob of men.
Advocate Swaraj, appearing in an intervention application, asked the Court to take up similar incidents from West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Earlier on July 28, the Union government had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the video related to two women, who were paraded naked and subjected to sexual violence in ethnic violence-hit state of Manipur.
As per an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court by the Central government on July 27, the government of Manipur had given its approval to the decision.
The affidavit requested the Apex Court to transfer the trial out of Manipur to any other state. It further sought direction from the top court of the country to complete the trial within six months of filing the charge sheet.
Filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the affidavit said that the Central government has taken several remedial measures to support the victims.
Claiming that it had ‘zero tolerance’ towards crimes against women, the Centre claimed in the affidavit that seven persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.
The government of Manipur had recommended a CBI probe into the incident earlier this month.
On May 4, two women allegedly belonging to the Kuki tribe, were paraded naked at B. Phainom village of Kangpokpi district in Manipur. One of the women was allegedly gangraped by the mob, which mainly comprised members of the Meitei community.
Video of the incident had recently gone viral, sending shockwaves across the country.