The Supreme Court has said that it must express its anguish over the manner in which women have been subjected to grave acts of sexual violence during sectarian violence and strife in Manipur.
"Subjecting women to sexual crimes and violence is completely unacceptable and constitutes a grave violation of the constitutional values of dignity, personal liberty and autonomy, all of which are protected as core fundamental rights under Part III of the Constitution,” said a bench of CJI D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra in its judgment, which was uploaded late in night on Thursday.
The bench said that mobs commonly resort to violence against women for multiple reasons, including the fact that they may escape punishment for their crimes if they are a member of a larger group.
It said that in time of sectarian violence, mobs use sexual violence to send a message of subordination to the community that the victims or survivors hail from.
"Such visceral violence against women during conflict is nothing but an atrocity," it added.
The court said that it is the bounden duty of the state – its foremost duty, even – to prevent people from committing such reprehensible violence against women and protect them from the violence targets. It termed the pace of investigation by Manipur Police as "tardy" pace of after noting that there were significant delays between the occurrence of incidents involving heinous crimes including murder, rape and arson and the registration of zero or regular FIRs.
It said that there were delays in recording witness statements, effecting arrests, and ensuring medical examination of victims. On July 20, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the disturbing viral videos and asked the Centre and the state government to apprise it about the steps taken by July 28.
Later, the two tribal women who were paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur had approached the top court claiming that the Manipur Police collaborated with the mob to allow perpetration of sexual violence on them.
Assam Police destroy poppy valued at Rs 27.20 crore
After Manipur Police, Assam Police also destroyed 170 Bighas (over 56 acres) of poppy cultivation in the Char areas of Goalpara district, officials said on Sunday.
PM Modi virtually attends Maha Kumbhabhishekam of Jakarta Murugan Temple in Indonesia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually participated in the Maha Kumbhabhishekam ceremony of Shri Sanathana Dharma Aalayam, also known as the Jakarta Murugan Temple, Indonesia's first-ever temple dedicated to Lord Murugan.
Gender Budget allocation increased to 8.86 pc for FY26 in Union Budget
The share of gender budget allocation in the total Union Budget has increased to 8.86 per cent in FY 2025-26 from 6.8 per cent in FY 2024-25.
Maha Kumbh: BSNL provides free SIMs, uninterrupted communication services in Mela area
From providing free SIM cards to ensuring uninterrupted communication services, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is playing a key role in strengthening the communication infrastructure at the Maha Kumbh 2025, it was announced on Sunday.
Drugs worth Rs 10.80 crore seized in Mizoram, 4 held
Despite stringent border vigil, smuggling of drugs from Myanmar into North-east India, the security forces seized drugs worth Rs 10.80 crore and arrested four drug peddlers in Mizoram, officials said here on Sunday.
At Delhi poll rally, PM Modi promises 'Vikas ka naya Basant' for residents
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Delhi is set to witness a "Vikas ka Naya Basant" (New spring of development) after the upcoming Assembly elections, comparing it to the seasonal change brought by Basant Panchami.
Custom duties rationalised in Budget to strengthen India’s economy: FM Sitharaman
The Centre has introduced customs duty rationalisation to ensure that the Indian economy becomes aatmanirbhar (self-reliant), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a post-budget interview with NDTV.
10.23 pc capex hike in Budget 2025-26 shows infrastructure remains a priority: FM Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told NDTV in a post-budget interview that the Government's focus has been on capital expenditure (capex) in the last few years, and now it has also given a huge boost to increasing consumption.