New Delhi:
The Supreme Court will today examine a PIL seeking direction to the Centre and the Manipur government on the economic blockade by ethnic groups in the state causing severe hardships to people and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.
A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhya had on Monday tagged the matter for being heard today.
The PIL filed by retired Director General of Police (Uttar Pradesh) Prakash Singh has alleged that "the state government of Manipur is not enforcing the law of the land and the Central Government is acting a mute spectator to intransigent groups taking law into their own hands."
According to the petition, the blockade resorted to by the Kuki and Naga tribes had subjected the general public in the state to severe hardships citing reports that petrol is being sold at Rs 200 per litres, and gas cylinders at Rs 2000.
There is a "shortage of essential commodities whose prices have sky-rocketed". The blockades "impinge on Article 21 of the Constitution of India which guarantees to all its citizens the protection of life and personal liberty, the petition said.
"That the current blockade has curtailed the rights of the people of Manipur to move freely throughout the territory of India guaranteed under Article 19 (d) of the Constitution of India," it added.
In his plea, Mr Singh urged the court to direct the Centre and Manipur to impose penalties on the agitators for resorting to the economic blockade.