The women, who were paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur earlier in May, have approached the Supreme Court with a fresh petition related to the viral video of their ordeal.
The two women filed petitions in the Supreme Court against the centre and the Manipur government. The petitions request that the Supreme Court take suo motu action on the case and order a fair and impartial inquiry. The victims have also requested that their identities be protected.
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The development comes as the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud-led bench is set to peruse the reply of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today, July 31.
The Supreme Court last week condemned the “deeply disturbing” video, stating that the visuals showed “gross constitutional failure”. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud called on the government to take concrete steps to protect women in the region and to keep the court informed of their progress.
The Home Ministry told the top court that the probe into the case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has now formally taken over the case and lodged an FIR.
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The Centre has asked the SC to move the trial out of the state. It also requested the top court to ensure that the trial is completed within six months.
The video of the two women has drawn widespread condemnation from opposition leaders. A tribal organisation in Manipur has alleged that the two women were gang-raped in a field.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) claims that the incident occurred on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, which is 35 kilometres from the state capital of Imphal. However, the police claim that the incident occurred in a different district, even though the FIR was filed in Kangpokpi.
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So far, seven people have been arrested in connection with the case.
The horrific incident took place a day after violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in Manipur, following the Meitei’s demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status.
