New Delhi, Aug 14: “You must be tired of fighting. Think of restoring peace and making roads and highways functional,” the Supreme Court on Friday told the Kuki and Meitei communities who have been engaged in ethnic violence in Manipur for more than three years.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since the ethnic violence broke out between the Imphal valley-based Meitei and neighbouring hills-based Kuki communities in May 2023.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana told both the ethnic groups that blocking of highways and roads was not going to serve anyone’s interest and they must endeavour to open them.
“You must be tired of fighting. Both groups have suffered enough hardships. Think of restoring peace and making roads and highways functional. Highways are the lifeline of any region as essential commodities pass through it,” the bench told petitioner ‘Kuki Women Organisation For Human Rights’, which is a wing of Kuki Organisation of Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), and intervener ‘International Meitei Organisation’.
CJI Kant said, “The issue is very genuine and blocking of national highways is a serious matter, but intervention of court in directing for opening of highways will lead to loss of lives.”
The bench asked both the groups to give, in two weeks, details of roads blocked in the state and suggestions as to how they will be reopened.
The top court told them, “We would ensure that both groups will work towards opening of highways”, and impleaded the Centre and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as parties in the petition.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the petitioner Kuki group, submitted that they were against any kind of violence and killings, and are in favour of peace and opening of roads and highways, but alleged that Meiteis were blocking several routes due to which supply of essential commodities was getting affected.
The counsel appearing for the intervener Meitei group alleged that the petition filed by the Kuki group was a “mischievous one” as they were the ones who had been blocking all the highways and roads in the state and creating hardships for the people.
The counsel said even after the chief minister of the state appealed for the opening of the roads, Kukis were blocking it.
The bench said the issue cannot be a case of allegations and counter-allegations, and both the groups will have to find a lasting solution for restoring peace.
While allowing the application for intervention, the bench told the counsel for the Meitei group to file a fresh petition indicating the details of roads which are blocked and granted liberty to amend the memo of parties.
It told the Meitei group that the court is not expecting a counter-affidavit in which counter-allegations are made but concrete proposals from them for opening of roads.
Observing that the blockade of roads was hurting everybody’s interest and disrupting supplies of essential commodities, the bench said why both the groups do not consider the intervention of some professional agency or take the help of some agreement. It said that problems in the state cannot be solved by opening roads piecemeal and both groups should suggest ways of opening all the routes for restoring essential supplies.
The petitioner Kuki women group in its plea has sought the removal of a blockade on NH-2, which connects Imphal with Dimapur in Nagaland, and restoration of supplies to Kuki-dominated areas. (PTI)
