Supreme Court Relieves Datla Sreenivasa Varma As In-charge Of SIT Formed To Probe Manipur Extra-Judicial Killings

The Supreme Court today (February 4) allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s plea to release Datla Sreenivasa Varma from the position as the head of the SIT formed to probe into Manipur's extra-judicial killings. The bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan was hearing the issue of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur by armed forces. The bench allowed the application filed by the CBI to relieve Datla Sreenivasa Varma, Joint Director and HOZ, NE Zone as the in-charge of the SIT constituted to investigate the alleged illegal killings. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati appeared on behalf of the CBI, while Senior Advocate Maneka Guruswamy appeared as the amicus in the matter. In 2022 the Court asked the Union of India to file a status report. The Supreme Court had in July 2017 directed the CBI to constitute a Special Investigation Team and to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur. A Bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta had issued the directionIn July 2018, a Bench comprising Justice M.B. Lokur and Justice U.U. Lalit had directed the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appear before it, after noting that the investigations in the alleged extra-judicial encounter killings in Manipur were taking an "unduly long time".BackgroundIn 2016, the bench of Justice Madan Lokur and UU Lalit held that an allegation of excessive force resulting in the death of any person by the Manipur Police or the Armed forces in Manipur must be thoroughly enquired into.It held that even while dealing with the 'enemy', the rule of law would apply and if there have been excesses beyond the call of duty, those members of the Manipur Police or the Armed forces who have committed the excesses which do not have a reasonable connection with the performance of their official duty would be liable to be proceeded against.The Bench was considering a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India by Extra Judicial Execution Victim Families Association and The Human Rights Alert. The petitioners claimed to have compiled 1528 alleged extra-judicial executions carried out by the police and security forces in Manipur. It is alleged that a majority of them have been carried out in cold blood while the victims were in custody and allegedly after torturing them. Case Details : EXTRA JUDICIAL EXECUTION VICTIM AND ANR. vs. UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.| W.P.(Crl.) No. 000129 / 2012 Click Here To Read/Download Order

Supreme Court Relieves Datla Sreenivasa Varma As In-charge Of SIT Formed To Probe Manipur Extra-Judicial Killings

Anmol Kaur Bawa

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