Justice Gita Mittal panel considering students' pleas for transfer to NIT outside Manipur, SC told

According to a report by PTI, today, Tuesday, August 20, the Supreme Court (SC) was told that a panel of three former women high court judges, headed by Justice Gita Mittal, is considering the pleas of several National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur students seeking transfer to institutes outside the ethnic violence-hit state.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the state was obliged to accommodate the students.

Furthermore, senior advocate Vibha Dutta Makhija, appearing for the panel, told the bench that Justice (retd) Mittal was coordinating with various authorities in connection with the transfer request of several students of NIT, Manipur.

"We are in the process of examining the genuinity of claims for transfer by the students, the senior lawyer said, adding that in a few cases, there may be some statutory requirements to be fulfilled," said advocate Makhija.

"She urged the court that the plea may be listed after two weeks. The bench agreed to the request," she added.

Besides that, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) said, "Justice Gita Mittal Committee has been in discussion with the authorities at the requisite level. We will list it on August 27."

In addition to this, on August 5, the top court extended by six months the tenure of the Justice Mittal committee which was set up to oversee relief and rehabilitation of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur.

The top court, on August 9, directed the committee headed by Justice Mittal to look at the individual grievances raised by a few displaced students from Manipur University who are seeking permanent transfer to other central universities.

In November 2023, the bench heard the plea of 284 students of Manipur University who had sought relocation in the wake of widespread violence.

Moreover, the panel, headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Mittal, includes Justices (retd) Shalini P Joshi, a former judge of the Bombay High Court, and Asha Menon, an ex-judge of the Delhi High Court.

To recall, more than 200 people have been killed, several hundred injured and thousands displaced since ethnic violence first broke out in the state on May 3, 2023, when a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.