A five-member team of Supreme Court judges visited displaced people in strife-torn Manipur’s relief camps on Saturday and appealed to the public to have faith in the Constitution and work together torestore peace.
After arriving in Imphal, Justices B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath, M.M. Sundresh and K.V. Vishwanathan visited Kuki-Zo-majority Churachandpur, met relief camp inmates and distributed relief materials. They inaugurated a legal services camp, a medical camp and legal aid clinics virtually from Tuibong inChurachandpur.
Justice N. Kotiswar Singh — the fifth member of the apex court team and a Meitei — did not visit Churachandpur. He later accompanied the team to Meitei-majority Bishnupur, as did two Manipur High Court judges: Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice Golmei Gaiphulshilu.
Speaking at Tuibong after visiting the Sadbhavna Mandap relief camp, Justice Gavai, the team leader, said that since Manipur was “in a difficult situation”, everyone should ensure that “acts of kindness and solidarity defines our approach to governance”.
“We know that all of you are going through a difficult phase but with the assistance of everyone — the executive, the legislative and the judiciary — this phase will be over in a short period,”he said.
“Our Constitution is a great document. When we compare our country with neighbouring countries, we realise that it is our Constitution which has kept us united and strong. So have belief in the Constitution. One day peace will return fullyin Manipur....”
Justice Gavai said the National Legal Services Authority had sanctioned ₹2.5 crore towards relief materials for the people displaced in the state during the 22-month-old conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.
