The Central Bureau of Investigation has moved the Supreme Court against the bail granted to two men accused of sexually assaulting and parading two Kuki women naked during the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur, Bar and Bench reported on Tuesday.

The incident had taken place a day after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities on May 3, 2023.

On July 19, 2023, a video showing two women being paraded naked by a mob in the Kangpokpi district was widely shared on social media. One of the women in the video was gangraped, according to a police complaint.

In September, the Gauhati High Court granted bail to two men who were allegedly part of the group that had paraded the women naked. The High Court had noted that there was a significant delay in the trial, largely because of the lapses by the CBI, the legal news agency reported.

The trial in the cases has begun. In January, a special court in Assam’s Guwahati framed criminal charges against six persons, including the two out on bail, The Times of India reported.

On Tuesday, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the two men and sought their response.

The CBI had told the court that the case involved extremely serious allegations. “The accused had paraded women naked,” Bar and Bench quoted the agency as submitting before the court. “This is a gross case. The women were gangraped and then paraded.”

The assault took place near the B Phainom village in the Kangpokpi village.

The Supreme Court had taken suo moto cognisance of the violence in the state. Following the court’s intervention, the CBI took over the probe in several cases linked to the violence.

Also read: ‘If you don’t take off your clothes, we will kill you’: Kuki women paraded naked in Manipur

Supreme Court flags delay in legal aid

In a separate hearing, the Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction about delays in appointing legal aid counsel for complainants in sexual violence cases related to the ethnic conflict in Manipur, Live Law.

The bench comprising Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that its earlier directions had not been complied with for over a month and directed that legal aid representation be ensured without further delay.

“Why are they making false promises,” Kant asked the lawyer for the Manipur rehabilitation committee.

On February 26, the Supreme Court directed that complainants in 20 cases linked to the ethnic violence be provided copies of chargesheets and free legal aid for proceedings in Guwahati.

In August 2023, the court issued an order directing that trials in the violence cases be conducted in Assam, while permitting the parties to appear via video conference from Manipur.

In its February order, the bench noted that complainants in Manipur were unaware of chargesheet filings in Assam and directed the Manipur and Assam State Legal Services Authorities to appoint one lawyer who understands the local language per complainant or family.