'It Would Not Be Right To Keep Corpses': SC Orders Burial, Cremation Of Manipur Violence Victims
The bench noted that the state government has specified nine locations for burial or cremation.
The Supreme Court issued orders on Tuesday requiring the burial or cremation of remains found in mortuaries in Manipur, where ethnic violence claimed numerous lives in May, news agency PTI reported. A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud noted that a report filed by the supreme court-appointed all-woman committee of former high court judges, chaired by justice (retd) Gita Mittal, showed the location of the remains in mortuaries in the northeastern state.
According to the report, 169 of the 175 corpses have been recognised, while six have not been identified, said the bench, which also included justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
It was stated that 81 of the 169 identified bodies had been claimed by next of kin, while the remaining 88 had not been claimed.
The bench noted that the state government has specified nine locations for burial or cremation.
"Bearing in mind the fact that violence in the state of Manipur had taken place in May 2023, it would not be either appropriate or proper to keep the bodies which have not been identified or claimed indefinitely in the mortuaries," it stated.
The Supreme Court is dealing with a slew of petitions, including those requesting a court-monitored investigation into acts of violence, as well as measures for relief and rehabilitation.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the court ruled that family members may perform final rites for identified and claimed corpses at any of the nine places without interference from any other parties.
It stated that state officials will notify the next of kin of the identified bodies, which have already been claimed, about the locations.
The bench mandated that this activity be completed by December 4th.
"As regard the bodies which have been identified but which have not been claimed, the state administration shall issue a communication to the next of kin on or before Monday intimating the next of kin that they are permitted to carry out the last rites together with requisite religious observances within a period of one week thereafter at any of the identified nine burial/cremation sites," it said.
It said that the collector and the superintendent of police (SP) will be free to take all necessary actions to maintain law and order and ensure that the burials or cremations take place in an orderly way.
"In the event that DNA samples have not been drawn at the stage when the autopsies were conducted, the state shall ensure drawing of such samples before the process of burial/cremation takes place," the apex court said.
"The state is permitted to issue a public notice indicating that if bodies, which are identified, are not claimed within a period of one week from the date of issuance of the notice, the state shall carry out the last rites… after the expiry of the period of one week by complying with the directions which have been issued above," it said.
The bench stated that it will hear on December 4 the points made in the committee's report regarding the acceptance of ex-gratia to victims' families.
The committee is led by retired Justice Gita Mittal and comprises retired Justices Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon.
In May, Manipur fell into disorder and unrest in response to a high court judgement asking the state administration to consider placing the non-tribal Meitei minority on the list of Scheduled Tribes.
This directive sparked widespread ethnic conflict. Since ethnic violence erupted in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was staged in hill areas to protest the dominant Meitei community's quest for ST status, over 170 people have been murdered and hundreds have been injured.
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