New Delhi, August 25 (Press Ki Taquat)
The Supreme Court on Friday transferred to Assam the trials of 27 cases of sexual violence relating to Manipur ethnic conflict being probed by the CBI.
A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to designate one or more judicial magistrates and sessions judges in Guwahati to deal with these 27 cases being probed by the CBI.
The victims and witnesses in these cases will be at liberty to give evidence virtually through video-conferencing from their places in Manipur, instead of travelling to Assam to be physically present in the court in Guwahati.
The order came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta suggested on behalf of the Manipur government that the trials in the CBI cases be transferred to Assam as there were security concerns as also certain apprehensions about judges in Manipur belonging to particular communities.
Senior counsel Colin Gonsalves opposed the transfer of CBI cases to Assam and suggested that instead these cases should be shifted to Mizoram.
As Gonsalves said trials should happen in the hills, the CJI said, “There have been victims in valleys, and in hills. It would be difficult for people who suffered in valleys to travel to hills, and the other way round. We are not on… who suffered more…just the practical difficulty,” the CJI said.
The Bench went on to request the Gauhati High Court Chief Justice to nominate one or more Chief Judicial Magistrate/Sessions Judge in Guwahati conversant in one or more languages of Manipur.
