An extrajudicial execution is the unlawful and deliberate killing of a person carried out by Government forces, or by people acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of those forces. These killings are violation of the most cherished right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution of India. It is often alleged that extrajudicial executions are used as an alternative to arrest and lengthy criminal proceedings by on and off-duty law enforcement officers. It is also widely believed that this is a strategy sanctioned by the state to “get rid of militants”. Under the shadow of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, having enforced in the whole of the State in 1980, large number of suspected militants had been killed in fake encounters by police and armed forces personnel in Manipur during the peak of insurgency. The Extra Judicial Execution Victims’ Families Association filed a PIL in the year 2012, before the Supreme Court of India as a last resort to obtain justice, alleging that no action was taken against any security personnel in respect of those unlawful killings in Manipur and the Supreme Court had directed the CBI to complete investigation in a time bound manner. This paper examines the state of human rights cases in the State of Manipur in the light of the judgment passed by the Apex Court and also suggests measures for delivering justice to families of victims of human right violations.
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