NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, on Tuesday (June 20), refused urgent listing of a plea seeking Army protection for the Kuki tribals in violence-ravaged Northeast state of Manipur.
The plea – an interlocutory application (IA) – seeking Army protection for Kuki tribals of the state was filed by the Manipur Tribal Forum.
The Manipur Tribal Forum, in its plea, alleged that the assurances given by the central government to the Supreme Court, in regards to the violence in Manipur, were false and non-serious.
Although the vacation bench of the Supreme Court, comprising justices Surya Kant and MM Sundresh, rejected urgent listing of the plea, it stated that the matter was “a serious issue of law and order”.
“This is a serious issue of law and order… I hope court is not required to pass orders for army intervention,” the Supreme Court remarked.
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The top court added: “We will list the case on July 3 and not before that.”
Manipur Tribal Forum accused the central government and the Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh of jointly embarking on a communal agenda aimed at “ethnic cleansing” of Kuki tribals in the state.
It may be mentioned here that Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 after clashes broke out between two communities in state and subsequent large-scale violence.
Over 100 people lost their lives and thousands of people were displaced following the clashes and subsequent violence in the state.