The Manipur High Court has appointed 13 magistrates to record the statements of witnesses under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the 27 cases related to the ethnic conflict being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The High Court said they will record statements “irrespective of their territorial jurisdiction and as per convenience and availability, taking into consideration the overall situation in the State of Manipur”. The High Court notification is in compliance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court on August 25.
Besides awaiting further instructions from the Manipur High Court on how to begin their work in the CBI cases, these judges have added that even in the 6,000-odd other cases being investigated locally, there has not been much progress in recording statements under Section 164 of the CrPC.
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