BackSupreme Court pulls up CBI over probe into civilians’ deaths in Manipur
Supreme Court questions the SIT on why it had not registered the requisite number of FIRs, after being informed that only 12 had been lodged by them till date in the investigations undertaken by it
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe alleged extra-judicial killings of civilians by security forces in Manipur for failing to file the requisite number of first information reports (FIRs) as directed by it.
A bench headed by justice Madan B. Lokur questioned the SIT on why it had not registered the requisite number of FIRs, after being informed that only 12 had been lodged by them till date in the investigations undertaken by it.
The court while expressing disappointment at the workings of the SIT, directed that all subsequent status reports filed before it be approved by the CBI director.
The agency, however, remained non-committal in its response.
“The agency is working towards meeting the deadline specified by the Supreme Court as of now," said a CBI spokesperson.
On 14 July, SC ordered a probe led by the CBI into 62 cases of alleged extra-judicial killings of civilians by security personnel and police in Manipur.
Following this, CBI constituted a special investigation team of five officers headed by a superintendent of police to examine the cases.
The apex court was responding to a public interest litigation seeking a probe and compensation in alleged cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur from 2000-2012.
The court is monitoring 1,528 alleged fake encounter cases in the state.
The matters were being heard by the court under four heads—commission of inquiry, National Human Rights Commission cases, judicial inquiry or high court matters, and cases based on written complaints.
Shaswati Das contributed to this story.
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