New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 28) ordered the Manipur government to ensure that there is a dignified and decent burial for those who were killed during the ethnic violence in the state and whose bodies remain unclaimed and unidentified.
According to Bar and Bench, the court issued the following directives for the states;
- All the next of kin of the bodies, which have been identified and claimed, would be permitted to carry out last rites at any of the identified nine burial sites without any interference by any party whatsoever.
- In order to effectuate the direction, State shall intimate the next of kin about the nine burial sites and this shall be completed on or before next Monday.
- Regarding unclaimed bodies, the State shall issue another communication to the next of kin that they are at liberty to carry out last rites together with religious rites at any of the burial/cremation site.
- The State is permitted to carry out the last rites of unidentified bodies with due observance of religious rites.
- The Collector and Superintendent of Police shall take appropriate steps for the maintenance of law and order.
- In the event DNA samples are not taken when autopsy was done, State shall ensure drawing of such samples.
- State can issue a public notice that if bodies are identified and not claimed then state shall carry out last rites as per religious rites.
A bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said that given that the conflict began on May 3, bodies cannot be kept in morgues indefinitely.
According to submissions made in the court, 88 identified bodies remain in the morgues which have not been claimed by the next of kin. Another six bodies have reportedly not been identified.
“The state administration shall issue communication to the next of kin on or before Monday next (December 4), stating that they are permitted to carry out last rites with requisite religious observance, within the next one week at any of the nine sites designated by the state (December 11),” stated the court order.