The Evening Wrap: Complete breakdown of constitutional machinery in Manipur, says SC

The Manipur government’s status report on 6,523 FIRs points to an “absolute breakdown of the constitutional machinery” in the State since ethnic violence broke out at the beginning of May, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. “This shows that from the beginning of May till the end of July, there was an absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery. There was no law in the State… a complete breakdown of law and order. If law and order cannot protect citizens, where are we left?” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, asked the Manipur government, represented by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta. The Supreme Court directed the Manipur Director General of Police to be personally present in the Court on August 7 at 2 p.m, adding that he should be in a position to answer the questions of the Court. In its order, the Court said that, on prima facie analysis, the police investigation into the cases was “tardy”. There was a “considerable lapse of time” between the occurrence of the incidents and the registration of FIRs and recording of witness statements. Arrests were “few and far between”, the Bench noted. Mehta surmised that the police may have been restricted as the situation in the State on the ground was not “conducive”. “From May 4 to July 27, the picture is clear that the police were not in charge… Was the situation so not conducive that even FIRs could not be registered? Except for one or two cases, there are no arrests at all. The investigation was so lethargic… FIRs were registered in many cases after only two months. Statements were not recorded…” Chief Justice Chandrachud observed. The Court asked how over 6,000 cases could be single-handedly probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with the Chief Justice noting that the burden of probing so many cases may leave the CBI itself “dysfunctional”. The hearing saw the Court peruse the status report prepared overnight by the State government. The Court found a case in which a mother was dragged out of her car and lynched, along with her son, by a mob on May 4. The FIR was registered only on July 23. The Court noted another case in which a man was “done to death” and his house set on fire. Again, the FIR was registered two months later. In another case, the CCTV footage was found to be “auto-deleted” by the time the investigators began their job. The State government’s status report said that there had been 150 deaths, including 59 deaths between May 3 and May 5. Another 28 people lost their lives between May 27 and May 29. Thirteen more died in the violence on June 9. The report showed that 502 people were injured in the clashes. There were 5,101 cases of arson. It said that 252 people had been arrested, with another 1,274 arrested as a preventive measure. The report said that a preliminary examination of the 6,523 cases show that 11 FIRs involved crimes against women and children, though this was subject to further verification. Seven arrests have been made in these 11 cases. Mehta said that the Centre, with the consent of the Manipur government, was willing to transfer these 11 FIRs to the CBI as an immediate measure. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta said that there was a twelfth FIR of a woman burnt alive, while advocate Nizam Pasha, representing the Zomi Students Federation, said that five FIRs highlighted by him were not among the 11 in the list presented by the Solicitor-General. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves said that there was another case where a young boy had been beheaded. The Court said that the information provided by the State in the current status report was “inadequate”, with Chief Justice Chandrachud noting that the FIRs have not been “disaggregated”. “You have not said how many of these cases involve murder or rape, arson and looting, destruction of house and property, destruction of religious worship, grievous hurt, etc.,” the Court addressed the State government. The Court directed that by the next hearing on August 7, the State is to give additional information, including the dates of commission of offences; dates of registration of zero FIRs; dates on which witness statements were recorded in these cases; dates on which Section 161 statements were recorded; dates of arrests; and the names of the accused persons in the FIRs. Haryana violence: Mob attacks mosque in Gurugram, curfew imposed in Nuh A mob attacked a mosque in Gurugram and killed its naib imam, taking the toll in the violence that erupted over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession in Nuh district to five, police said on August 1. Authorities on August 1 imposed a curfew in Nuh where four people, including two home guards, were killed and many others injured on Monday, as Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij claimed that the violence was “engineered”. Internet services have been suspended in Sohna, Pataudi and Manesar areas. Police and administration are holding meetings with prominent members of both communities to ensure peace, said Police. Meanwhile, the Haryana Government has sought 20 companies of the Rapid Action Force from the Centre for a week to maintain the law and order situation in Nuh district. Govt tables National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in Lok Sabha The Union Government on August 1 tabled the contentious Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Lok Sabha, seeking to replace an ordinance related to the control of services in the national capital. The proposed legislation, which has brought the Delhi Government and the Centre at loggerheads, empowers the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to have a final say in recommendations regarding the transfer and posting of Delhi Government officials, received the nod of the Union Cabinet on July 25. Tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, the legislation will reverse the effect of the Supreme Court verdict in May that gave the Delhi Government power over administrative services. The Opposition has been protesting against the Ordinance since the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The AAP Government has challenged the ordinance in the Supreme Court. In the past couple of months, Kejriwal toured across the country and met Opposition leaders to drum up support against the bill and get it blocked in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA is short of numbers. “The bill vindicates the outrageous infringement of the government on the territory of the states. It is designed for digging up a graveyard for cooperating federalism,” said Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury. Lok Sabha to take up no-trust motion debate on August 8; Opposition walks out of BAC meet in protest The Lok Sabha will debate the no-confidence between August 8 and 10 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to reply to the Opposition-sponsored move on the last day. The decision was taken at the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee (BAC) meeting as constituents of the INDIA alliance walked out in protest of the debate not being taken up on priority. “The debate on the no-confidence motion will begin on August 8 and continue till August 10 when the prime minister will reply to the debate,” a senior leader said. The Opposition bloc INDIA with the Congress, DMK, Left parties and the TMC, as well as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, demanded that the House take up the motion immediately and protested the government pushing through its legislative agenda this week. The government has insisted that there are no rules or precedence which make it mandatory for the House to take up the no-confidence motion immediately. It has argued that rules state the motion should be taken up for discussion within 10 working days of being admitted. Congress whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore said the Lok Sabha was adjourned after the Opposition parties of the INDIA alliance demanded the presence of Prime Minister Modi in the House and that he make a statement on the Manipur issue. He said the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Lok Sabha was held at noon, during which the constituents of the INDIA alliance demanded that the no-confidence motion be brought up immediately. “We wanted that the no-confidence motion be taken up tomorrow itself,” Tagore said. The Congress leader said that in the 16th Lok Sabha when the TDP moved a no-confidence motion, it was listed the next day. “Therefore, the delay is not proper. In protest, the INDIA alliance partners walked out of the speaker’s business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha,” he said. DMK leader T.R. Balu said they walked out of the business advisory committee meeting as the government wanted them to endorse its decision to start a discussion on the no-confidence motion on August 8. The Opposition leaders have been citing Lok Sabha precedence and rules that the no-confidence motion be taken up first after setting aside all other government business. The motion was moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted it on July 26. RPF constable Chetan Singh accused of killing four remanded in police custody till August 7 A magistrate court on Tuesday remanded Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh accused of killing his senior and three passengers on a train in police custody till August 7. On July 31, Singh, 33, shot dead RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena (58) and three passengers -- Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (62), Akhtar Abbas Ali (48), and Sadar Mohammed Hussain (48) -- using his automatic weapon on the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express around 5 a.m. He was produced by Borivali police on Tuesday afternoon. Advocate Amit Mishra appearing for the accused said Singh is innocent and did not kill anyone. The prosecution while seeking police custody for 14 days also said that Singh is mentally unfit. However, the magistrate sent the constable to seven days in police custody. The media was not allowed to be inside the courtroom. Singh was arrested by Government Railway Police personnel and his weapon was seized as he was trying to flee when the train stopped between Mira Road and Dahisar stations after passengers pulled the chain. Singh allegedly fired 12 rounds from his automatic weapon and the GRP recovered eight bullets from the weapon after the incident. He killed the senior policeman and a passenger in coach B5, another passenger in B6, and one in the pantry car between the B5 and B6 coaches. Singh hails from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh and was transferred to Mumbai from the Bhavnagar division last March. He had recently visited Hathras and returned to duty on July 17. He was arrested under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections of the Indian Weapons Act and Indian Railway Act. Tika Ram Meena hailed from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan and was due for retirement in 2025. He is survived by his wife, a 25-year-old son, and two daughters aged 18 and 20. On July 31, evening, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website AltNews, posted a video from his personal X (formerly Twitter) handle purportedly showing Singh justifying the killings and making some communal remarks. However, Shivaji Sutar, Executive Director (Information & Publicity), Ministry of Railways, said, “The location and authenticity can’t be established. The matter is under investigation.” In Brief: The Patna High Court on August 1 upheld the Bihar caste-based survey (CBS) in the State. A Division Bench of Chief Justice K.V. Chandran dismissed the petitions filed against the decision of the State government to conduct the survey. The court allowed the State government to continue with the survey in Bihar. The Patna High Court on May 4 stayed the caste-based census in its interim order while hearing a petition challenging and seeking an interim stay on the survey. The first phase of the survey, which involved house listing exercise, was carried out from January 7 to January 21 and the second phase began on April 15 and was supposed to be concluded on May 15. Days of unusually heavy rains around China’s capital, Beijing, have flooded houses, torn apart roads and left at least 20 people dead and 27 missing, state media reported Tuesday. The flooding prompted authorities to close train stations and evacuate people in vulnerable areas to school gyms. Cars were washed away and piled into stacks by the rushing waters. The level of rainfall is rarely seen in Beijing, which generally enjoys moderate, dry summers but has experienced record-breaking extended days of high temperatures this summer. Flooding in other parts of northern China that rarely see such large amounts of rain have led to scores of deaths. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 01 August 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Manipur status report on FIRs shows complete breakdown of constitutional machinery from May to July: Supreme Court The [Manipur government’s status report on 6,523 FIRs points to an “absolute breakdown of the constitutional machinery”]( the State since ethnic violence broke out at the beginning of May, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. “This shows that from the beginning of May till the end of July, there was an absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery. There was no law in the State… a complete breakdown of law and order. If law and order cannot protect citizens, where are we left?” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, asked the Manipur government, represented by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta. The Supreme Court directed the Manipur Director General of Police to be personally present in the Court on August 7 at 2 p.m, adding that he should be in a position to answer the questions of the Court. In its order, the Court said that, on prima facie analysis, the police investigation into the cases was “tardy”. There was a “considerable lapse of time” between the occurrence of the incidents and the registration of FIRs and recording of witness statements. Arrests were “few and far between”, the Bench noted. Mehta surmised that the police may have been restricted as the situation in the State on the ground was not “conducive”. “From May 4 to July 27, the picture is clear that the police were not in charge… Was the situation so not conducive that even FIRs could not be registered? Except for one or two cases, there are no arrests at all. The investigation was so lethargic… FIRs were registered in many cases after only two months. Statements were not recorded…” Chief Justice Chandrachud observed. The Court asked how over 6,000 cases could be single-handedly probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with the Chief Justice noting that the burden of probing so many cases may leave the CBI itself “dysfunctional”. The hearing saw the Court peruse the status report prepared overnight by the State government. The Court found a case in which a mother was dragged out of her car and lynched, along with her son, by a mob on May 4. The FIR was registered only on July 23. The Court noted another case in which a man was “done to death” and his house set on fire. Again, the FIR was registered two months later. In another case, the CCTV footage was found to be “auto-deleted” by the time the investigators began their job. The State government’s status report said that there had been 150 deaths, including 59 deaths between May 3 and May 5. Another 28 people lost their lives between May 27 and May 29. Thirteen more died in the violence on June 9. The report showed that 502 people were injured in the clashes. There were 5,101 cases of arson. It said that 252 people had been arrested, with another 1,274 arrested as a preventive measure. The report said that a preliminary examination of the 6,523 cases show that 11 FIRs involved crimes against women and children, though this was subject to further verification. Seven arrests have been made in these 11 cases. Mehta said that the Centre, with the consent of the Manipur government, was willing to transfer these 11 FIRs to the CBI as an immediate measure. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta said that there was a twelfth FIR of a woman burnt alive, while advocate Nizam Pasha, representing the Zomi Students Federation, said that five FIRs highlighted by him were not among the 11 in the list presented by the Solicitor-General. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves said that there was another case where a young boy had been beheaded. The Court said that the information provided by the State in the current status report was “inadequate”, with Chief Justice Chandrachud noting that the FIRs have not been “disaggregated”. “You have not said how many of these cases involve murder or rape, arson and looting, destruction of house and property, destruction of religious worship, grievous hurt, etc.,” the Court addressed the State government. The Court directed that by the next hearing on August 7, the State is to give additional information, including the dates of commission of offences; dates of registration of zero FIRs; dates on which witness statements were recorded in these cases; dates on which Section 161 statements were recorded; dates of arrests; and the names of the accused persons in the FIRs. Haryana violence: Mob attacks mosque in Gurugram, curfew imposed in Nuh [A mob attacked a mosque in Gurugram and killed its naib imam]( taking the toll in the violence that erupted over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession in Nuh district to five, police said on August 1. Authorities on August 1 imposed a curfew in Nuh where four people, including two home guards, were killed and many others injured on Monday, as Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij claimed that the violence was “engineered”. Internet services have been suspended in Sohna, Pataudi and Manesar areas. Police and administration are holding meetings with prominent members of both communities to ensure peace, said Police. Meanwhile, the Haryana Government has sought 20 companies of the Rapid Action Force from the Centre for a week to maintain the law and order situation in Nuh district. Govt tables National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in Lok Sabha The [Union Government on August 1 tabled the contentious Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023,]( in the Lok Sabha, seeking to replace an ordinance related to the control of services in the national capital. The proposed legislation, which has brought the Delhi Government and the Centre at loggerheads, empowers the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to have a final say in recommendations regarding the transfer and posting of Delhi Government officials, received the nod of the Union Cabinet on July 25. Tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, the legislation will reverse the effect of the Supreme Court verdict in May that gave the Delhi Government power over administrative services. The Opposition has been protesting against the Ordinance since the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The AAP Government has challenged the ordinance in the Supreme Court. In the past couple of months, Kejriwal toured across the country and met Opposition leaders to drum up support against the bill and get it blocked in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA is short of numbers. “The bill vindicates the outrageous infringement of the government on the territory of the states. It is designed for digging up a graveyard for cooperating federalism,” said Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury. Lok Sabha to take up no-trust motion debate on August 8; Opposition walks out of BAC meet in protest The [Lok Sabha will debate the no-confidence between August 8 and 10 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi]( likely to reply to the Opposition-sponsored move on the last day. The decision was taken at the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee (BAC) meeting as constituents of the INDIA alliance walked out in protest of the debate not being taken up on priority. “The debate on the no-confidence motion will begin on August 8 and continue till August 10 when the prime minister will reply to the debate,” a senior leader said. The Opposition bloc INDIA with the Congress, DMK, Left parties and the TMC, as well as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, demanded that the House take up the motion immediately and protested the government pushing through its legislative agenda this week. The government has insisted that there are no rules or precedence which make it mandatory for the House to take up the no-confidence motion immediately. It has argued that rules state the motion should be taken up for discussion within 10 working days of being admitted. Congress whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore said the Lok Sabha was adjourned after the Opposition parties of the INDIA alliance demanded the presence of Prime Minister Modi in the House and that he make a statement on the Manipur issue. He said the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Lok Sabha was held at noon, during which the constituents of the INDIA alliance demanded that the no-confidence motion be brought up immediately. “We wanted that the no-confidence motion be taken up tomorrow itself,” Tagore said. The Congress leader said that in the 16th Lok Sabha when the TDP moved a no-confidence motion, it was listed the next day. “Therefore, the delay is not proper. In protest, the INDIA alliance partners walked out of the speaker’s business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha,” he said. DMK leader T.R. Balu said they walked out of the business advisory committee meeting as the government wanted them to endorse its decision to start a discussion on the no-confidence motion on August 8. The Opposition leaders have been citing Lok Sabha precedence and rules that the no-confidence motion be taken up first after setting aside all other government business. The motion was moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted it on July 26. RPF constable Chetan Singh accused of killing four remanded in police custody till August 7 [A magistrate court on Tuesday remanded Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh]( accused of killing his senior and three passengers on a train in police custody till August 7. On July 31, Singh, 33, shot dead RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tika Ram Meena (58) and three passengers -- Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (62), Akhtar Abbas Ali (48), and Sadar Mohammed Hussain (48) -- using his automatic weapon on the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express around 5 a.m. He was produced by Borivali police on Tuesday afternoon. Advocate Amit Mishra appearing for the accused said Singh is innocent and did not kill anyone. The prosecution while seeking police custody for 14 days also said that Singh is mentally unfit. However, the magistrate sent the constable to seven days in police custody. The media was not allowed to be inside the courtroom. Singh was arrested by Government Railway Police personnel and his weapon was seized as he was trying to flee when the train stopped between Mira Road and Dahisar stations after passengers pulled the chain. Singh allegedly fired 12 rounds from his automatic weapon and the GRP recovered eight bullets from the weapon after the incident. He killed the senior policeman and a passenger in coach B5, another passenger in B6, and one in the pantry car between the B5 and B6 coaches. Singh hails from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh and was transferred to Mumbai from the Bhavnagar division last March. He had recently visited Hathras and returned to duty on July 17. He was arrested under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections of the Indian Weapons Act and Indian Railway Act. Tika Ram Meena hailed from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan and was due for retirement in 2025. He is survived by his wife, a 25-year-old son, and two daughters aged 18 and 20. On July 31, evening, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website AltNews, posted a video from his personal X (formerly Twitter) handle purportedly showing Singh justifying the killings and making some communal remarks. However, Shivaji Sutar, Executive Director (Information & Publicity), Ministry of Railways, said, “The location and authenticity can’t be established. The matter is under investigation.” In Brief: The [Patna High Court on August 1 upheld the Bihar caste-based survey (CBS]( in the State. A Division Bench of Chief Justice K.V. Chandran dismissed the petitions filed against the decision of the State government to conduct the survey. The court allowed the State government to continue with the survey in Bihar. The Patna High Court on May 4 stayed the caste-based census in its interim order while hearing a petition challenging and seeking an interim stay on the survey. The first phase of the survey, which involved house listing exercise, was carried out from January 7 to January 21 and the second phase began on April 15 and was supposed to be concluded on May 15. [Days of unusually heavy rains around China’s capital, Beijing, have flooded houses]( torn apart roads and left at least 20 people dead and 27 missing, state media reported Tuesday. The flooding prompted authorities to close train stations and evacuate people in vulnerable areas to school gyms. Cars were washed away and piled into stacks by the rushing waters. The level of rainfall is rarely seen in Beijing, which generally enjoys moderate, dry summers but has experienced record-breaking extended days of high temperatures this summer. Flooding in other parts of northern China that rarely see such large amounts of rain have led to scores of deaths. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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