Manipur Encounter Killings: Matter has not been pursued with seriousness by CBI, Supreme Court

In the case relating to alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur, the Supreme Court yesterday pulled up the CBI for failing to pursue the matter “with seriousness”..A Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and UU Lalit, which heard the matter, noted that only eleven FIRs have been registered in the last six months. Expressing its displeasure at the same, the Court sought the presence of the DIG who is heading the probe..The Supreme Court, vide its order of July 2017, had directed the CBI to investigate into the fake encounters and directed registration of FIRs in nearly 100 cases..When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioner association, apprised the court about how only eleven FIRs have been registered in the past six months..The Bench in its turn also noted that nobody from the investigating team was present in the court for the hearing..“Our experience has been that if an SIT is set up, somebody from the SIT will be present in the court. SIT cannot say our job is only to investigate and send some case diary to the court”, remarked Justice Lokur..Gonsalves also proceeded to submit that police constable and encounter specialist Herojit Singh’s diaries which contain details about the encounter killings were taken by the CBI and there is apprehension that the same might have been destroyed. He prayed that the diaries should be presented before the court since they contain critical information..ASG Maninder Singh refuted the said submission stating that it is irrelevant to the present case the request of production of dairy should have been made earlier as the diaries were seized in 2010..The Bench then asked Gonsalvez to clarify whether this grievance had been raised earlier or not..The Court then proceeded to pass the order asking the DIG to be present in the Court on Tuesday. It also recorded in its order that only eleven FIRs have been registered till date and that the matter has not been pursued by the CBI with seriousness..It also sought a status report from the Investigating Team regarding the progress of the investigation.