India News | SC Judges' Visit Will Provide Healing Touch to Violence-hit Manipur People: Justice Kotiswar Singh

Imphal, Mar 22 (PTI) Supreme Court judge, Justice N Kotiswar Singh, on Saturday said that the visit of judges of the apex court to strife-torn Manipur will provide a "healing touch" to the people affected by the violence and "instil hope" among them.

A Supreme Court judges' team, led by Justice B R Gavai, began their two-day tour of Manipur on Saturday. They visited a relief camp and interacted with internally displaced persons, before virtually inaugurating a legal services camp, a medical camp and a legal aid clinic from the Mini Secretariat at Lamka in Churachandpur district.

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Justice Singh, who was part of the delegation and belongs to the Meitei community, however, did not visit Kuki-majority Churachandpur, amid objections from a lawyers' body there, officials said.

Speaking to reporters at Moirang in Bishnupur district, Justice Singh said, "The Supreme Court judges' visit is a very remarkable event... I am sure it will provide a healing touch and give hope to the violence-affected people."

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"We should not live in the past, pain or tragedy that has taken place. We must look forward to a brighter future where we all can live together. It may take time, but we must be hopeful and remain positive," he added.

Earlier in the day, the top court delegation was accorded a warm welcome by the lawyer fraternity of the state at Imphal airport.

From Imphal airport, the Supreme Court judges, barring Justice Singh, went to Churachandpur on a helicopter, while Justice Singh came to Bishnupur district by road. On their way back to Imphal, the remaining judges came down to Bishnupur via road.

In Bishnupur district, the judges visited the Indian National Army memorial at Moirang and took a boat ride on Loktak Lake.

The All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) had urged its Churachandpur district counterpart to withdraw its directive preventing a Meitei judge of the Supreme Court from visiting the Kuki-Zo-dominated area.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)