The apex court on Tuesday hit out at the CBI’s SIT, which has been investigating into the alleged extra-judicial killings and fake encounters by the Army, Assam Rifles and police in Manipur for not registering the required number of FIRs as directed by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court put questions to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) over the issue and issued a directive to the SIT sleuths that they should lodge 30 more FIRs on or before January 31 this year. This directive came after the SIT informed the Supreme Court that has lodged 12 FIRs so far.
The SC was hearing a PIL seeking investigation into 1,528 cases of extra-judicial killings in the insurgency-hit Manipur. A bench of the apex court comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and UU Lalit said, “FIRs have to be registered in every single case. It is the investigation that has to be carried out by you (SIT). After the investigation, you decide whether you will file the charge sheets or closure reports.”
According to media reports, the apex court asked the SIT to complete its investigation in the 12 matters in which FIRs have already been registered, by February 28 this year.
The bench, as per media reports, said, “We make it clear that on or before January 31, 2018, all FIRs must be registered in respect of the remaining 30 cases as mentioned in the three tables that we have mentioned in the judgement dated July 14, 2017.”