Manipur extra-judicial killings: SC to re-form bench

The Supreme Court Thursday agreed to reconstitute a bench for hearing cases on the alleged extra-judicial killings by the Army, the Assam Rifles and the Manipur Police in the insurgency-hit state.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it will try to reconstitute the bench as Justice M B Lokur who was hearing the matter has retired in December last year.

Senior advocate Collin Gonsalves, appearing for some of the petitioners, said since the retirement of Justice Lokur the matter has not been heard.

He said he had mentioned the matter before a bench of Justice U U Lalit who used to hear the case along with Justice Lokur but he was asked to mention it before the bench of Chief Justice.

"We will try to reconstitute the bench," the CJI-led bench said.

The apex court had earlier ordered CBI probe into the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings in Manipur from 2000 to 2012 by security forces and police.