CBI named dead as accused in Manipur encounter case: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for naming the deceased victims as the accused in the FIR registered to look into the extrajudicial killings in Manipur.

Forty of the 42 FIRs that are being investigated by the court ordered Special Investigations Team (SIT) name the dead victims as the main accused whereas the Supreme Court has essentially been named as the complainant, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves submitted while representing the families of the victims.

All the documents (from various commissions and reports) suggest excessive force was used by police and army personnel. Yet you have filed an FIR against the victim, Justice Madan Lokur asked the probe agency. “There is something terribly wrong here. The FIR, instead of reflecting the crime accuses the victim of murder,” Justice Lokur added.

Defending the SIT, Sharad Aggarwal, DIG, Special Crime-III who is heading the team assured the bench that the crime would be investigated and those responsible would be chargesheeted.

While Justice UU Lalit, who was also on the bench, observed that all facets of the investigation would have to be investigated, Gonsalves submitted that there was a terrific resistance in registering the FIR against the accused.

When the bench asked the SIT on how long it would take to file the chargesheets, Aggarwal submitted that four reports were ready where police officers were identified as the main accused.

COURT UNHAPPY

• Unhappy with the pace of the investigation, the apex court directed the National Human Rights Commission to depute three officers who would assist the SIT in the investigation.