New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to relieve Datla Sreenivasa Varma, Joint Director and HOZ, NE Zone, from his role as the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice K V Viswanathan, approved the CBI’s application during the hearing on the long-standing issue involving allegations against the armed forces in Manipur.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati represented the CBI, while Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy appeared as amicus curiae.
The investigation has a long legal history dating back to 2017 when the Supreme Court, led by Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta, directed the CBI to form a SIT to probe alleged illegal killings. In 2018, the court summoned the CBI Director after expressing concerns over delays in the investigation.
In a crucial 2016 ruling, a bench, comprising Justices Lokur and U U Lalit, emphasized that even in conflict zones, the rule of law must be upheld. They asserted that allegations of excessive force resulting in deaths by the Manipur Police or armed forces must be thoroughly investigated, and offenders held accountable.
The investigation stems from a writ petition filed by the Extra Judicial Execution Victim Families Association and Human Rights Alert, which alleged 1,528 extra-judicial executions in Manipur. Many were claimed to have been conducted in cold blood while the victims were in custody and allegedly tortured.
The case remains under the Supreme Court’s supervision as it will decide on accountability and justice.
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