Supreme Court on Thursday took suo moto cognizance of the disturbing video from Manipur that went viral on Wednesday where two women were paraded naked and were sexually molested by hundreds of men amidst the ongoing conflict in the Manipur state. The top court has asked the State government to take the necessary steps to punish the perpetrators immediately.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had sought the presence of Attorney General of India R Venkataramani and Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta today.
CJI addressed AGI and SGI, “We are very deeply disturbed by the videos which have emerged yesterday about the two women who were paraded in Manipur. We are expressing our deep concern. It is time that the government really steps in and takes action. This is simply unacceptable.”
“Using women as instrument in an area of communal strife to inflict gender violence is deeply deeply disturbing. This is the grossest of human rights violation,” CJI said.
He added that the Court is aware of the fact that the video was May 4 but it doesn’t make a difference.
“We will give a little time for the government to take action otherwise we will step in,” CJI Chandrachud came down heavily and warned after asking details of the action taken by the authorities since May to book the criminals and what action was taken by the Government to ensure that this is not repeated.
He added, “Who knows whether it was isolated or if there is a pattern.”
“The Court is deeply disturbed by the visuals of the video which have appeared in the media since yesterday about the perpetration of sexual assault and violence on women in Manipur. We are of the view that the Court must be apprised of the steps taken by the government to hold the perpetrators accountable and also to ensure that such instances are not repeated in the strife in Manipur. The visuals which are portrayed in the media would indicate reflects gross constitutional violations and infraction of human rights. Using women as instruments to perpetrate violence in a charged atmosphere is simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy. We direct the Union and the State Government to take immediate steps to apprise the Court of what action has been take,” the Court stated in the order.
