Supreme Court Justice N Kotiswar Singh, who is part of the top court delegation visiting Manipur on Saturday, may not travel to the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district amid objections from a lawyers’ body there.
Sources said that Justice Singh, who belongs to the Meitei community, does not wish to precipitate any controversy amid the ethnic tensions in the state. They said he has decided to follow the advice of the local administration and accordingly decide whether to go to Churachandpur or not.
“Unfortunately some things have happened, but the sentiments are also there. So he is a bit careful,” said a source, adding he will visit the other parts of the state.
It is also learnt that some Manipur High Court judges from the Meitei community may not visit Churachandpur.
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) had said in a statement that a team of judges, including Supreme Court Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, M M Sundresh, K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh, would visit relief camps in the state on March 22.
The visit is a part of the efforts to strengthen legal and humanitarian assistance to affected communities, the NALSA statement said on March 17.
Subsequently, the Churachandpur District Bar Association issued a statement saying: “Lordships belonging to the Meitei community, in the interest of peace and public order, shall not step into our district, even though their names appear in the programme.”
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Justice Surya Kant will not travel to Manipur as he had already been scheduled to attend an event in Mumbai.
The NALSA statement said that during the visit, which is on the occasion of the duodecennial celebration of the Manipur High Court, Justice Gavai will virtually inaugurate legal services camps and medical camps across all Manipur districts, and legal aid clinics in Imphal East, Imphal West and Ukhrul districts. Relief material will also be distributed to internally displaced persons.
The statement said the legal services camps will connect displaced persons with government welfare programs, “ensuring access to vital benefits such as healthcare, pensions, employment schemes and identity document reconstruction. Each participating State Department will outline at least five key schemes tailored to address the needs of the displaced population”.
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