SC: Loss of key docs must be looked into

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to address the plight of the victims of the ethnic clashes in Manipur who have lost identity proofs and are in dire need of adequate compensation to rebuild their lives, as it mulled over issuing necessary directions on the reports received from a high-powered committee comprising three retired women high court judges.

- Utkarsh Anand

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, took judicial note of the three reports submitted by the panel, appointed by it on August 7 that visited the strife-torn state and reported back on the efficacy of rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures. Two of these reports were submitted by the panel on August 17 while the last one was forwarded on August 19.

The bench, which also comprised justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, opened the confidential reports submitted by the committee during the course of the hearing on Monday and flagged the concerns raised therein. The CJI pointed out that one of the three reports adduced by the committee, which comprises justices Gita Mittal (former chief justice of the Jammu & Kashmir high court), Shalini P Joshi (former Bombay high court judge) and Asha Menon (former Delhi high court judge), highlighted loss of identity documents by several persons affected by the violence. "This report calls for assistance in reconstruction of important documents such as Aadhaar cards etc for such citizens," recorded the court order.

Another report, the bench said, called for the Manipur victim compensation scheme to be improved and updated, bearing in mind the scheme framed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). "For instance, the Manipur victim compensation scheme states that if benefits under other schemes have been received by a victim, no benefit shall be provided to such a person under the Manipur scheme," said the bench.