New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Central government and the Manipur government to examine a plea filed by a group of students, displaced due to ethnic strife in the north-eastern state, seeking accommodation in different Central universities across the country to prevent the loss of an academic year.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, initially advised senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, representing the petitioners, to approach the Manipur High Court.
However, Arora contended that the displaced students are scattered across different states in the country, making it impractical for them to seek relief from the Manipur High Court.
She emphasized that the petitioners, a group of 284 students under the aegis of the Manipur University Eimi Welfare Society, have already lost a crucial six months of the academic year.
The senior counsel further highlighted that similar relief was extended to migrant students from Kashmir in central universities.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, objected to the inclusion of the apex court-appointed committee as a respondent in the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.
The bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, instructed Mehta and the Advocate General of Manipur to thoroughly examine the grievance raised in the plea and adjourned the matter for further hearing on December 4.