New Delhi - In response to the Manipur violence, a committee of three distinguished former women high court judges has been established by the Supreme Court. The bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, revealed that this committee will be led by former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal. Additionally, the committee will include Justices (retd) Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon. This development was reported by news agency PTI. The Supreme Court plans to release a comprehensive order on this matter, which will be made available on the apex court's website later in the day.

During the hearing, Manipur Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh was present to address inquiries regarding the ethnic violence. He also discussed the measures taken by the administration thus far to address the situation. Notably, the issue of effectively investigating and segregating cases for more thorough examination was discussed.

The Centre and the state government were represented by Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. They submitted a report to the Supreme Court, as requested on August 1. This report encompassed various issues, including the segregation of cases. The attorney general conveyed that the government is handling the situation with a high level of maturity, according to the PTI report.

To address the violence, the state government proposed the formation of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) at the district level, each to be headed by a superintendent of police. Furthermore, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been assigned the task of investigating 11 cases.

Earlier, on August 1, the Supreme Court had expressed concern about the breakdown of law and order in Manipur. The bench criticized the state police for their sluggish investigation of ethnic violence incidents, particularly those targeting women. As a result, the Director General of Police (DGP) was summoned to provide responses to the bench's queries on August 7.

In light of the situation, the Central Government proposed transferring 11 out of 6,523 FIRs related to violence against women and children, including cases related to a video showing women being paraded naked by a mob, to the CBI. This would ensure that these cases are dealt with outside of Manipur's jurisdiction.

The bench is currently addressing approximately ten petitions related to the escalating violence. These petitions encompass various concerns, including those advocating for court-monitored investigations into the cases, as well as measures aimed at providing relief and facilitating rehabilitation within the state.

Earlier, on August 1, the Supreme Court issued a directive to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is handling the investigation of Manipur's widely circulated video incident. The directive ordered the CBI to refrain from proceeding with the process of recording statements from the victims involved in the incident.

Beginning on May 3, ethnic tensions erupted in Manipur, primarily between the Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, residing in the hills. Regrettably, the ongoing violence has resulted in the loss of over 150 lives.