GUWAHATI: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea urging measures to ensure the voting rights of approximately 18,000 individuals displaced by ethnic unrest in Manipur during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections slated for April 19.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, deemed the petition as belated, asserting that intervening at this juncture would pose significant challenges for the Election Commission (ECI) to arrange for the participation of displaced persons.
“Thus, interference of this court at this belated stage would cause substantial impediments on the conduct of the ensuing Lok Sabha general elections in Manipur. Thus, we decline to interfere in this case,” the Court said in its order, as published by a legal website.
The court highlighted that while the petitioner’s concerns were well-intentioned, the time constraint of three days made it impractical for the ECI to implement necessary administrative measures, particularly given that the electoral setup for the initial round of voting on April 19 in Manipur was already finalised.
Highlighting logistical hurdles, the court underscored that the relief sought couldn’t be confined to specific areas such as Kohima, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, where the displaced persons are currently located.
This, the court argued, was due to the complexities involved in executing such measures within the limited timeframe.
The plea, presented by advocates Hetvi Patel and Kaoliangpou Kamei, with representation by advocate Satya Mitra, underscored the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) belonging to the Kuki-Zo-Hmar community, alleging that the Election Commission had neglected their predicament, leaving them at risk of being disenfranchised.
The Supreme Court, currently examining a series of petitions pertaining to the Manipur unrest, had earlier established an all-woman judicial committee led by Justice Mittal to oversee the ongoing investigations into the violence.
