Supreme Court relieves Datla Sreenivasa Varma as SIT in-charge of Manipur extra-judic
Supreme Court relieves Datla Sreenivasa Varma as SIT in-charge of Manipur extra-judicial killings probe
M.U.H
05/02/20258
The Supreme Court has granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) permission to relieve Datla Sreenivasa Varma from his role as the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan was hearing the case related to the alleged unlawful killings carried out by armed forces in the state.
During the proceedings, the CBI's application to replace Varma, who serves as Joint Director and Head of Zone (NE Zone), was approved by the court. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati represented the CBI, while Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy appeared as amicus curiae in the matter.
The Supreme Court has been actively monitoring the case since July 2017, when a Bench comprising Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta directed the CBI to form an SIT to investigate the alleged extra-judicial killings. In July 2018, another Bench led by Justice M.B. Lokur and Justice U.U. Lalit had summoned the CBI Director over delays in the investigation, expressing concern over the prolonged timeline.
In 2022, the Court also instructed the Union of India to submit a status report on the matter. The latest decision marks another significant development in the ongoing legal scrutiny of the case.
