We cannot run law and order, elected government does: SC

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: The Supreme Court said that maintaining law and order in Manipur is the responsibility of the elected government. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud made it clear during a hearing on the Manipur issue that the Supreme Court cannot take on law and order responsibilities.

A two-judge bench pointed out that the Supreme Court should not be used as a platform to further escalate the situation in Manipur.

"This is a humanitarian issue," a bench of Chief Justice and Justice PS Narasimha told senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who appeared for NGO 'Manipur Tribal Forum.'

The bench, which took on record a fresh status report filed by the chief secretary of Manipur, asked Gonsalves and other lawyers appearing for different organisations representing the ethnic Kuki and Meitei groups, locked in a bloody conflict in the state, some others entities and the high court bar association of Manipur to peruse the updated status report and give positive suggestions by Tuesday for bringing an end to the violence.

Gonsalves asserted the state government had said at the last hearing that 10 people had lost their lives in the conflict but the death toll has now risen to 110.