Noting that “it is not the Line of Control [LoC] but the heart of cities like Imphal” that concerns it more, the Supreme Court on Wednesday raised questions about human rights violations in insurgency-hit and tense areas of the country even as the Centre said the security forces were forced, at times, to act with an iron hand to protect the internal security of the country.
A Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur was hearing submissions by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) counsel and senior advocate Gopal Subramanium that the top human rights body had been reduced to a “toothless” entity.
‘Zero accountability’Mr. Subramanium argued that there was zero accountability in cases of human rights violations in strife-ridden areas even as Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi said the security forces charged with the job of maintaining internal peace and order were compelled to act in a “particular way.”
“How else do we do it?” Mr. Rohatgi asked.
Serious impactMr. Rohatgi said if there were allegations of human rights violation, justice could be done through criminal trials. But any retrospective probe into the Army’s actions, whether in Manipur or in Jammu and Kashmir, would have a serious impact on the men’s morale.
Mr. Subramanium argued that the security forces take umbrage under the Armed Force Special Powers Act (AFSPA) when faced with a human rights complaint.
“In Manipur, it took three years to get information regarding a case of alleged human rights violation. The NHRC is a responsible fact-finding body. No government can say it is not accountable for violation of human rights,” Mr. Subramanium said.
