The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the closure of the FIR and consequent criminal proceedings initiated by the Nagaland government against members of the Indian Army operational team in connection with the killing of 14 civilians in the state's Mon district in December 2021.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale allowed the writ petitions filed by the wives of officers for quashing of suo moto FIR registered against the personnel of 21 Para (Special Force).
The apex court noted that the sanction under Section 6 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 was rejected by the competent authority in February last year. Section 6 provides that no prosecution, suit or other legal proceedings can be instituted against any person in respect of anything done under the AFSPA except with the previous sanction of the Union government.
However, in its judgment, the SC clarified that if the writ petition filed by the Nagaland government challenging the correctness of the denial of sanction is allowed in future, the proceedings pursuant to the impugned FIRs are liable to be continued.
"In case sanction is granted at any stage under Section 6 of the AFSP Act, 1958, the proceedings pursuant to the impugned FIRs may continue and may proceed in accordance with law and be brought to a logical conclusion," it said.
Further, the SC declined to set in motion disciplinary proceedings against the army officers, saying that the concerned wing of the armed forces would be at liberty to take such action or not.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Nagaland government, had named 30 Army personnel, including a major, in its charge sheet filed before the District and Sessions Court in Mon district.
At least 13 people were killed on December 4, 2021, and another villager was killed and more than 20 injured the next day in the subsequent violence in the Mon district. Almost all Naga organisations including the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation, the All Naga Students' Association, and the United Naga Council organised a series of agitations against the killings.
Fall of Congress in Gujarat: Three decades of decline and struggle for relevance
The Congress party was once the dominant political force in Gujarat, shaping the state’s governance since independence. However, over the past 30 years, the party has witnessed a dramatic downfall, losing ground to the BJP’s aggressive electoral strategies, organisational strength, and ideological appeal.
‘Disempowering Muslims’: J&K political parties oppose Waqf (Amendment) Bill
All political parties of J&K, except the BJP, opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that the Bill is intended to disempower Muslims and only target one religion.
Radical group founder wanted in Jaipur serial blast plot apprehended in Ratlam
The Madhya Pradesh Police in Ratlam achieved a significant breakthrough in apprehending Firoz, also known as Sabji, a fugitive implicated in a conspiracy to execute serial blasts aimed at creating panic and terrorising the Rajasthan capital city of Jaipur.
Amit Shah & Akhilesh Yadav’s lighter exchange in LS over party president
Amid the uproar and heated debate between the ruling party and the Opposition over the Waqf Amendment Bill on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha witnessed some lighter moments between Home Minister Amit Shah and SP President Akhilesh Yadav.
Waqf Bill weakens Constitution, defames minorities, divides society: Gaurav Gogoi
As Parliament debated the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, on Wednesday, deputy leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi came down heavily on the government.
Bill not linked to religion, it’s prospective and not retrospective: Kiren Rijiju flays naysayers
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday tore into the Opposition for ‘spreading falsehood’ over the Waqf Amendment Bill and urged the ‘doubters and naysayers’ to refrain from misleading the people on the proposed reforms.
Parliament was being claimed as Waqf property: Rijiju slams UPA for making provisions 'overriding' other laws
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday bashed the previous UPA government for de-notifying 123 properties and handing them over to the Delhi Waqf Board.
Bhopal’s Muslims burst firecrackers in support of Waqf (Amendment) Bill
A large number of Muslims in Madhya Pradesh's capital, Bhopal, burst firecrackers on Wednesday to express their support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was presented in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day.