Manipur Violence: All-woman committee urges Supreme Court to enhance victim compensation, re-issue lost id proofs, documents

The all-woman committee formed to ensure justice for victims of the recent ethnic violence in Manipur has suggested that the compensation to be paid to victims of violence should be enhanced..The committee headed by former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court Justice Gita Mittal filed three reports before the Supreme Court with regard to its findings on the violence and suggestions.After going through the reports, a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra recorded,"The reports submitted by Justice Mittal led committee shows essential documents need to be reissued, the victim compensation scheme needs an upgrade and a nodal administration expert be appointed.".One of the significant issues raised in the reports was the loss of essential documents by individuals who lost their homes in the Manipur violence. The reports call for the appointment of a nodal officer who will facilitate the revival of lost documents, including crucial identification documents like Aadhaar cards.Another issue highlighted in the reports was the victim compensation scheme. In line with the NALSA scheme, the committee recommended improvements to the compensation framework. The provision in the existing scheme that excludes victims who have received benefits under other schemes, was highlighted.The reports also emphasized the need for a nodal administrative expert to streamline the administrative aspects of the case proceedings..The Court today directed that the committee's reports be shared with all advocates-on-record representing the petitioners.The Court also acknowledged that certain procedural directions would be necessary to provide administrative support, allocate finances to the committee and publicize the committee's work.It entrusted advocate Vrinda Grover with the task of collating the required directions and sharing them with the Manipur Advocate General by 10 PM on Thursday, August 24. The matter will be heard next on August 25..The Supreme Court had earlier this month constituted the all-woman judicial committee headed by Justice Mittal to examine the probe being conducted to ensure justice to victims of the violence in the State.The committee was tasked with examining the ongoing probes and suggesting remedial measures, compensation and rehabilitation, among other things..The Court in its order also listed down the reasons why it was intervening:a. Significant delays between the occurrence of incidents involving heinous crimes including murder, rape and arson and the recording of zero FIRs;b. Significant delays in forwarding the zero FIRs to the police stations which have jurisdiction over the incidents;c. Delays in converting the zero FIRs into regular FIRs by the jurisdictional police stations;d. Delays in recording witness statements;e. Lack of diligence in recording the statements under Section 161..The Bench was hearing a batch of pleas related to the violence in Manipur, including a plea by two women from the Kuki-Zomi community who were seen in a video being paraded naked and molested by a mob of men.The Central government had ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the issue.The women, meanwhile, moved the apex court seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the incident..Prior to this, the Supreme Court had also registered a suo motu case after a video of the horrific incident with the two women went viral on social media.During the hearing of the matter on August 1, the Court had castigated the authorities and the State Police over their apparent failure to control the law and order situation that unfolded in Manipur.