Manipur violence: Supreme Court grants woman lawyer protection from arrest
The woman lawyer claimed she was part of a ‘fact-finding committee’ to Manipur, which has witnessed ethnic violence recently, and that she has been booked for this with charges including sedition.
Security personnel patrol the violence-hit area of Irengbam village of Bishnupur district, in Manipur. (PTI, file) The Supreme Court Tuesday granted protection from arrest to a woman lawyer who claimed she was part of a ‘fact-finding committee’ to Manipur, which has witnessed ethnic violence recently, and that she has been booked for this with charges including sedition.
The FIR was registered at Imphal police station on Saturday night against the members of the fact-finding committee, including CPI leader and National Federation of Indian Women General (NIFW) secretary Annie Raja, who had termed the violence in Manipur “state-sponsored”.
Nisha Siddhu of NIFW and lawyer Deeksha Dwivedi are the other two members of the committee.
The FIR has been registered under sections including those pertaining to conspiracy to commit offences, provocation with intent to cause a riot, defamation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration, and promoting enmity between different groups.
Taking up the plea upon mention by Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, a three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud directed that no coercive steps be taken against the petitioner until 5 pm on July 14.
“Mr Siddharth Dave, learned Senior Counsel, has mentioned the proceedings for urgent orders because there is an apprehension that the petitioner, who is a member of the Bar with four years standing, is likely to be arrested,” said the bench.
“The petitioner has submitted that she does not have a copy of the FIR at this stage. We have requested Mr Dave to ensure that the copy of the petition is served on the advocate instructing the Solicitor General of India. The SG may take instructions on the background of the case,” it added.
The court will hear the matter again on July 14.
Dave said the petitioner was part of the three-member team of the National Federation of Indian Women, affiliated with the Communist Party of India (CPI), who held a press conference in Delhi. She was slapped with the charges following this, he added.
The bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who had been appearing for the state of Manipur in matters pertaining to the situation of the state, to take instructions on this.
Mehta agreed to do so and added it may not be right to say that it’s not possible to approach the High Court.
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