New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday submitted before the Supreme Court that findings of the apex court appointed committee`s report on extra judicial killings in Manipur are being examined at highest level.
Appearing before a bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam, Additional Solicitor General Paras Kuhat said the Santosh Hegde committee report is seen at highest level in Army headquarters and Home and Defence ministries.
He said that the Central government is absolutely committed that no fake encounter should take place in Manipur and equally aggrieved by the incidents that had taken place.
The committee, comprising former Supreme Court judge Hegde, ex-CEC J M Lyngdoh and a senior police officer, probing six cases of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur came to conclusion that these were not genuine encounters and the victims, including a 12-year-old boy, did not have any criminal records.
In light of the committee`s findings, the bench asked the NHRC chairperson to visit Manipur to examine how the Commission`s guidelines are being implemented in the state.
"Let him go to Manipur. It can be a kind of good gesture. Let the NHRC see how the guidelines framed by it are being followed," the bench said.
"There is no denying that there has been great lapse. There has been no respect for human lives," the bench said adding "Security personnels are also human beings away from families. If you keep areas under security control for long then such things happen."
The Supreme Court on January 4 had decided to appoint the committee to hold an inquiry into the alleged fake encounter killings in Manipur.
The panel was set up to probe six cases of alleged extra- judicial killings in the Northeast state where a magisterial inquiry had raised questions on genuineness of the encounters.
The apex court had appointed the panel on a PIL filed by an association of the families of the alleged victims, seeking setting up of a special investigation team and direct inquiry into around 1,528 such cases.
The association had alleged in its plea that over 2,000 odd extra-judicial killings have taken place in the state, but no one has been held guilty till date.
PTI
