Manipur Violence | Following Supreme Court's Direction, Gauhati High Court Designates Courts To Hear CBI Cases

Following the directions issued by the Supreme Court on August 25, the Gauhati High Court on Friday issued a notification designating courts to ensure the hearing of cases related to ethnic violence in Manipur.

The following Courts have been designated to deal with the matters in respect of the cases which have been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation in the online mode:

1. The Special Judge, CBI & NIA, Assam, and

2. The Courts of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), Guwahati as well as Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), Guwahati.

The notification also permits the Presiding Officers of the above Courts to take the services of the interpreters, preferably from the staff of the Gauhati High Court or District Courts, who are conversant with the languages spoken in the state of Manipur. 

This development has come days after the Supreme Court asked the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to designate Courts in Guwahati to handle the pre-trial steps of CBI cases.

It may be noted that the Top Court, on August 24, issued a slew of directions to transfer the sexual violence cases related to Manipur ethnic violence, which have been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to Assam, "bearing in mind the overall environment in Manipur, and the need for ensuring a fair process of criminal justice administration".

The Apex Court had also allowed that applications for remand, extension of custody, issuance of warrants etc., can be virtually made by the investigating agency before the designated Courts in Guwahati. The victims and witnesses were also given the liberty to give evidence virtually from their places in Manipur, instead of travelling physically to the Assam Courts.

These directions were issued by a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra accepting the suggestions made by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta on behalf of the State of Manipur that the trials be transferred to a designated court in the neighbouring state of Assam. He had expressed apprehensions that there could be some concerns about the judges in Manipur belonging to particular communities; also, there are security concerns regarding the transfer of the accused.

Read more about the Court's order here: Manipur Violence : Supreme Court Transfers CBI Cases To Assam For Pre-Trial Steps

Click Here To Read/Download Gauhati HC's Notification