Meitei judges part of delegation may not travel to Manipur hills

Justice N Kotiswar Singh, the only Meitei judge in the Supreme Court, may not travel to Kuki-inhabited areas in Manipur during a visit by a delegation of Supreme Court judges on March 22 to assess the condition of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and strengthen legal and humanitarian aid efforts.

A revised schedule received by the Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA) on Wednesday evening did not have justice Singh’s name in the list of judges visiting relief camps in Churachandpur, a Kuki-majority district that was the epicentre of ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023.

According to people aware of the matter, the decision came after the Churachandpur District Bar Association (CDBA) issued a statement stating that “Lordships belonging to the Meitei community, in the interest of peace and public order, shall not step into our district, even though their names appear in the programme.”

One of the persons familiar with the situation told HT that justice Singh strongly desired to visit Churachandpur and engage with the IDPs in person, despite recommendations for a virtual interaction. “He insisted on speaking to them directly. The judges’ itinerary underwent several revisions before it was ultimately determined he could not travel to Churachandpur,” this person said.

The Supreme Court delegation will be led by justice Bhushan R Gavai, executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (Nalsa), and will include justices Vikram Nath, MM Sundresh and KV Viswanathan. Justice Surya Kant, who was initially part of the team, will not be travelling to Manipur due to prior commitments.

Two judges from the Manipur high court, justices A Bimol and Guneshwar Sharma, both Meiteis, are expected to join the visit, but people familiar with the matter indicated they too are unlikely to travel to the hill districts.

As part of the initiative, justice Gavai will virtually inaugurate legal services camps, medical camps, and new legal aid clinics in districts such as Imphal East, Imphal West, and Ukhrul. Essential relief materials will also be distributed to displaced families. The legal services camps, according to a Nalsa statement, will help IDPs access government welfare programmes, including health care, pensions, employment schemes, and identity document reconstruction.

To address critical health care concerns, a team of 25 specialised doctors from Chennai will conduct medical camps across relief sites. These services, Nalsa stated, will continue for an additional six days, offering medical treatment, essential medicines, and health check-ups.

The visit, planned as part of the duodecennial (12-year) celebration of the Manipur high court, aims to review rehabilitation measures and expand legal aid and medical assistance for IDPs. The ongoing ethnic crisis in Manipur has left thousands displaced, with many still residing in relief camps nearly two years after the violence erupted on May 3, 2023. Over 250 people have died, and more than 50,000 remain displaced as tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities persist.

Meanwhile, security agencies in Manipur are on high alert as Supreme and high court judges are scheduled to visit relief camps across the state. The heightened security stems from the composition of the visiting delegation: of the nine judges (five from the Supreme Court and four from the Manipur high court), three judges (one from the Supreme Court and two from the Manipur high court) are from the Meitei community.

The ethnic clashes have forced Kuki and Meitei communities to retreat to their respective strongholds – Meiteis in the valley districts and Kuki-Zo groups in the hills. The ethnic divide is so profound that Kuki areas are devoid of any Meitei police officer, state government employee, or bureaucrat. Similarly, barring one senior Kuki police officer (additional director general), who occasionally visits his office in Imphal under heavy security, there are no Kuki officers in Imphal or other valley districts like Imphal and Bishnupur.

A senior security officer, who asked not to be named, said that the security forces have prepared an extensive plan to provide security during the movement of the judges. One officer, who asked not to be named, said: “For now, the judges will be taking a chopper from valley districts to the relief camp in Churachandpur. The judges are visiting the camps with spouses and other officials. The delegation has around 18-20 members…We are making tight arrangements assuming that all judges are visiting both hill and valley districts.”

According to a MASLSA schedule of the judges’ visit, the delegation is set to visit the Sadbhavna Mandap Relief Camp in Churachandpur’s Tuibong for a health camp, legal camp and distributing of relief materials for IDPs.

Another officer, who also asked not to be named, said that the forces are informally meeting with community leaders in Churachandpur to ensure that there is no trouble. “The situation is such we cannot take a chance .”