Supreme Court Questions Criminal Cases Against Editors Guild for Their Report on Manipur

The Supreme Court on Monday questioned if a fact-finding report on Manipur violence prepared by the Editors Guild of India (EGI) could be the basis for criminal charges, emphasizing that it represented subjective opinions rather than criminal conduct.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has postponed the petition by EGI and its team, which visited Manipur last month, to Friday. 

They have sought the court's permission to approach the Delhi High Court to quash two criminal cases filed against them in Manipur.

The FIRs were registered on September 3, a day after EGI published its report. These FIRs accused EGI and its team of promoting enmity, inciting communal tensions, and insulting the Meitei community.

The Manipur government suggested that the petition against the FIRs should be filed with the Manipur High Court, which is fully operational. The Supreme Court is now deliberating whether to direct EGI to approach the Manipur High Court or the Delhi High Court.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Manipur government, expressed concerns about setting a precedent. The court extended protection against arrest, initially granted on September 6, until Friday.

EGI's senior advocate, Kapil Sibal, argued that it was risky for the team to go to Manipur, citing recent incidents of violence against lawyers. He highlighted that the team had visited the state on the Indian Army's invitation to conduct an objective examination.

The Manipur government contended that portions of EGI's report were false, published without verification, and highly controversial. They claimed that the report had the potential to create a public order issue in a sensitive area.

The FIRs were filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including promoting enmity and criminal defamation.

EGI clarified that its report aimed to alert authorities and assist in decision-making to uphold the rule of law during the ethnic violence in Manipur.

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