SC Directs CBI Not to Record Statements of Women Victims of Manipur Viral Video

The Supreme Court has stopped the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from recording the statements of the two women who were victims of the horrific viral video incident of physical assault that occurred in violence-hit Manipur.

The court was scheduled to hear a bathc of petitioners related to the case at 2 pm on Tuesday.

According to reports, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to convey to the CBI to await the outcome of today's hearing.

Nizam Pasha, appearing on the Kuki side appealed the court to prevent the CBI from recording the statements till the outcome of today’s hearing.

However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta expressed his concerns about the urgency of recording the statements. He said it was done in good faith but he will convey to the CBI to refrain from recording the statement.

The Supreme Court on Monday stated that the incident of sexual assault against the Manipuri women could not be justified by highlighting similar incidents in other states.

A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra while hearing a batch of pleas filed by two women from the Kuki tribe who were paraded naked by a mob of men made the remark in response to advocate Bansuri Swaraj, appearing in an intervention application, who highlighted that in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh also women were paraded naked by mobs and the top court should also take up those incidents along with the Manipur incident.

Notably, a video surfaced on online platforms on July 19 where two women were seen being paraded naked and constantly molested by their captors. 

Also Read: Can't Justify Manipur Incident By Saying Similar Events Occurred in Bengal: SC