Ahead of SC judges’ Manipur visit, MTFD asks for ‘tribal point of view’ to be considered in agenda

Assam Rifles officers at Lailophai in Churachandpur district, Manipiur.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Ahead of the Supreme Court judges’ planned visit to Manipur this weekend, the Manipur Tribals Forum Delhi (MTFD) has written to the judges and the Registry, requesting that the agenda for the visit be planned in a way that considered “the tribal point of view”.  

In the letter, the Kuki-Zo civil society organisation also asked the judges to agree to a meeting with tribal leaders and victims from their community “separate from the presence of all other persons/authorities”. This will enable them to “talk frankly” when their assailants and those who support their assailants “are not present”. 

Earlier this week, a statement from the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) had said that a delegation of six Supreme Court judges is scheduled to visit Manipur on March 22 as part of a NALSA outreach programme aimed at those suffering in the State. Justice B.R. Gavai, who is the Executive Chairman of NALSA, would be accompanied by Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, M.M. Sundresh, K.V. Viswanathan and N. Kotiswar Singh. 

In the letter to the judges, also marked to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the MTFD said that all previous visits were monitored and planned by authorities of the erstwhile State government, arguing that it is important for the judges’ agenda to consider the “tribal point of view”.  

The MTFD said that their petitions had not been heard by the court for one year despite the body having written to the Registrar repeatedly, adding that “armed mobilization of assailants” was going on and “fresh attacks expected”. “Because the situation is so desperate the tribals welcome your Lordships’ visit,” it said. 

Among a series of other requests, the MTFD said that none of the 197 tribal villages and over 7,000 tribal homes that were attacked and burnt down in the conflict were reconstructed by the State of Manipur as directed by the Supreme Court in its earlier order of July 11, 2023. “This is why tribals continue to suffer in relief camps,” the organisation said.  

The MTFD, in their letter dated March 19, went on to ask for the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s earlier order to reconstruct the villages and hand them over; sought that all information with regards to FIRs registered, chargesheets filed, arrests made and stage of trial, be provided to it from the inquiries conducted by the Supreme Court-appointed committee headed by former DGP D.D. Padsalgikar.  

It also sought the arrest of members of “terrorist organisations” named by them in their petitions, such as the Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, based on the videos filed before the court which “showed them moving openly with automatic weapons and shouting hate speeches”.