Manipur video: SC asks CBI not to proceed with recording statements of women
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the CBI not to proceed with recording the statements of women seen in a video being paraded naked in Manipur as it is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions on the issue at 2 pm.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of submissions by lawyer Nizam Pasha, appearing for the women, that the CBI has asked them to depose on Tuesday.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Manipur government, said he was not aware of it.
"Just ask them (CBI officials) to wait. We are going to take it at 2 pm today," said the bench which also comprised Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.
"I will convey this... If we had not done anything Mr (Kapil) Sibal (the counsel for the women) would accuse us of inaction," the law officer said. Mehta said he will ask the CBI officials to refrain from recording the statements and it might have been done in "good faith".
The top court is scheduled to hear at 2 pm a batch of pleas related to ethnic violence in Manipur and may pass an order setting up a committee of retired judges or an SIT to oversee the probe.
On Monday, it described as "horrendous" the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur amid reports that the police handed them over to the rioting mob. It asked searching questions about the delayed registration of the FIR and mooted the idea of setting up a committee of retired judges or an SIT to oversee the probe.
Describing the violence perpetrated against women in strife-torn Manipur as one of "unprecedented magnitude", the top court refused to consider submissions of lawyer and BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj that similar alleged incidents in opposition-ruled states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Kerala be also taken note of.
Seeking a report about the action taken by the state in around 6,000 cases related to the ethnic conflict, the bench said Manipur police cannot be allowed to continue with its probe in view of the news reports that it were police personnel who handed over the women to the mob.
The bench sought to know why the state police took 14 days to register an FIR.
On July 27, the Centre informed the top court that it has transferred to the CBI the probe in the case related to the two women who were paraded naked, asserting the government has "zero tolerance towards any crimes against women".
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in an affidavit filed through its Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, also urged the top court to transfer the trial outside Manipur for the conclusion of the trial in a time-bound manner. Seven people have been arrested in the case so far.
The affidavit said the central government believed that the investigation should be completed at the earliest and the trial be also conducted in a time-bound manner "which must take place outside Manipur".
Scores of people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
