Ensure dignified burial of unidentified, unclaimed bodies: SC to Manipur
Supreme Court has directed the Manipur government to ensure «dignified and decent» burial of the unidentified and unclaimed bodies of those killed during the ethnic violence in Manipur.
Passing the order, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Tuesday said that it would «not be appropriate» to keep the bodies indefinitely in the mortuaries.
The bench ordered that the list of identified bodies should be duly intimated to the next of kin and the last rites should be performed with dignity and observance of religious rites of the community.
The court further ordered that DNA samples should be drawn before the burial takes place since the criminal investigation is underway.
During the resumed hearing of pleas pertaining to Manipur violence, the bench noted that a committee of three retired judges appointed by the top court in a report found that 169 of the 175 bodies have been identified. Of the 169 identified dead bodies, 81 have been claimed by next of kin but 88 are unclaimed and six are unidentified.
The committee was headed by justice Gita Mittal (retired) .
Speaking for the bench, the CJI verbally remarked that it cannot «keep the pot boiling» over dead bodies. The bench passed a slew of directions to the Manipur government.
The court ordered that 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.
The state government has been directed to intimate the next of kin about the nine burial sites and this shall be completed on or before next Monday. As regards unclaimed bodies, the state has been directed to issue another communication to the
