Manipur High Court: In a Public Interest Litigation (‘PIL’) filed by International Meeteis Forum, questioning the mass burial on a land which was proposed for the burial of the bodies of the members of the Kuki-Zo community, who recently got killed in the Manipur violence, MV Muralidaran, ACJ. Directed the State and the Central Government to maintain status quo ante of the land in question till the next date.
When the matter was heard on 02-08-2023, the Court directed to post the matter on 03-08-2023 before the Special Bench of Justice A. Bimol Singh and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma. However, due to personal inconvenience, Justice A. Bimol Singh was unable to take up the matter and had passed an order and directed the Registry to place the matter before the Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidaran.
Considering the nature and urgency of the matter as a big mob from both the communities had gathered in and around the land in question and at any moment violence would have taken place, the Acting Chief Justice took up the matter at 6:00 A.M.
Taking into consideration the potentiality of aggravating the already volatile law and order situation and the possibility of igniting a fresh wave of violence and bloodshed due to the gathering of a large mob from both the communities at the land in question, the Bench issued following directions as an interim measure to prevent any unwanted incident:
i. The State Government and the Central Government and their law enforcing agencies/personnel as well as the public belonging to both the communities are directed to maintain status quo ante of the land in question till the next date.
ii. The State Government and other authorities were directed to take appropriate effective steps to control the law and order problem in and around of the land in question.
iii. The Central and the State Government along with the aggrieved parties were directed to try and make amicable settlement. The private respondents and all the representatives of the Kuki-Zo community were given liberty to apply to the official respondents for allotment of land for the purpose of burial within a period of one week.
The matter was further listed for hearing on 09-08-2023.
[International Meeteis Forum v. State of Manipur, 2023 SCC OnLine Mani 219, Order Dated: 03-08-2023]
