Amid the prolonged ethnic turmoil in Manipur, the Supreme Court on Friday (September 1) issued directives to both the Central Government and the Manipur State Government to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities, such as food and medicines, to residents affected by economic blockades in specific areas of the border state.
A bench comprising of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala has directed the state government to investigate all possible solutions to the blockades, which have severely disrupted the supply of essential goods to the affected population, news agency PTI reported citing the bench.
As per the report, the court has also suggested that if necessary, supplies could be dropped from the sky. "We direct that both the Union government and the state of Manipur continue to distribute basic supplies of food, medicines, and other essential items in the affected areas so that no part of the population suffers as a result of an existing or anticipated blockade," the bench said.
While the court acknowledged that addressing blockades is the responsibility of law enforcement, it emphasised the importance of humanitarian considerations. In this regard, the government has been urged to investigate all viable options, including the possibility of airdropping supplies, the report said. The bench has requested regular updates on the specific actions taken to alleviate the situation.
According to the report, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing both the Centre and the Manipur government, informed the court that nodal officers have been appointed by both entities, as per the court's previous orders, to facilitate the functioning of the court-appointed all-women committee of judges responsible for overseeing relief and rehabilitation efforts in the strife-affected state. The committee, chaired by Justice (retired) Gita Mittal, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, includes Justices (retired) Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon.
The bench directed that official communication regarding the appointment of nodal officers to the committee be provided within 48 hours, the report said. These nodal officers will act as points of contact for the committee, facilitating meetings and implementing its directives on the ground.
Solicitor General Mehta was given until the following Wednesday to seek additional instructions on the six committee reports, allowing him to provide updates at the next hearing, it said.
A batch of petitions, filed by various individuals, including Manipur residents and civil society groups, is scheduled for a hearing on September 6, as confirmed by the bench.
The court-appointed committee, represented by senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, initially expressed concern about blockades in the Moreh area of Manipur, highlighting the critical shortage of essential rations faced by the local population, PTI report said. She also noted reports of chickenpox and measles outbreaks in some relief camps, exacerbating the already dire situation, it added.
In response to these concerns, Chief Justice Chandrachud suggested that the state government be informed directly about the issues in order to facilitate necessary action. "What you are saying, the state government can easily be apprised (of), and necessary action will be taken," he said. Please find a way for the committee to directly inform the government, Mr. Solicitor General," he added, as per the report.
The bench also directed senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, who was representing an intervenor who reported the destruction of 642 religious sites, to share a note on the matter with the committee and the solicitor general in order for appropriate action to be taken, it said.
In response, the Chief Justice acknowledged that resolving blockades was a complex issue, especially given the involvement of locals. He noted that dealing with blockades involved delicate considerations, and that simply ordering the armed forces to remove them was not a straightforward solution, according to the report.
The ongoing violence in Manipur stems from a high court order in May that directed the state government to consider including the non-tribal Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes. This decision triggered ethnic clashes, resulting in over 160 casualties and several hundred injuries since the outbreak of violence on May 3 during a 'Tribal Solidarity March.'