Unusual move by Supreme Court; team of six judges to visit Manipur on Saturday, will meet riot victims

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is embarking on a relief mission to Manipur, which still bears the scars of the violent clashes. A team of six Supreme Court judges will visit Manipur on Saturday. The team will be led by Justice B.R. Gavai, who is the next senior Judge after the Chief Justice and also the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority.

Other members of the bench include Justices Suryakant, Vikramnath, M.M. Sundresh, K.V. Vishwanathan, and N. Kotteeshwar Singh. It is noteworthy that Justice Kotteeshwar Singh, who is from Manipur, is part of the team. Justice K.V. Vishwanathan is a Malayali.

The judges will meet people living in relief camps, including those who have lost everything in the violence. They will also organise legal aid and medical camps and distribute relief materials. The National and State Legal Services Authorities will jointly organise these camps.

Justice Gavai will inaugurate the camps. Legal aid clinics will begin in Imphal East, Imphal West, and Ukhrul districts. The bench will also attend the 12th-anniversary celebrations of the Manipur High Court. Meanwhile, Congress leader P. Chidambaram asked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit the relief camps in Manipur.

To ensure a life with dignity

The National Legal Services Authority stated that the goal is to provide security, mental support, and the necessary resources to rebuild a dignified life for those who had to flee their homes during the conflict. It will ensure that the affected people receive government welfare schemes. The Manipur government departments will introduce five schemes each to ensure a stable future for those who had to leave their homes.

Legal aid and medical camps

• The legal aid camps will focus on ensuring health care, pension, employment, and the reconstruction of identification documents.
• The medical camps will include a team of 25 expert doctors from Chennai, who will provide their services during the six-day camp.