Introduction Matrix 

In the Matter at hand, a number of petitions were submitted in response to the unrest in Manipur. The State administration said that it will submit an updated status report outlining the steps it had taken to stop the violence. One of the arguments in the case was an interlocutory motion submitted by the Manipur Tribal Forum, which claimed that the guarantees made by the Central government to the top court regarding how it would handle the situation were untrue. The Forum was one of the parties which petitioned the Supreme Court to order the Central and State governments to remove Manipuri Tribals who had fled to CRPF camps and to make sure they get to their homes safely with a security escort.

Analysis of SC Order 

The Supreme Court. DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India, and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra declined to direct the Indian Army and paramilitary forces to provide security in tribal areas in Manipur and emphasised that the Supreme Court has never given the Indian Army instructions on how to conduct military, security, or rescue operations in its 72 years of existence. The Court emphasised that civilian authority over the armed forces was the primary indicator of democracy and that it could not be violated.

The court went on to say that the upkeep of law and order and protection of the state’s security was under the purview of the elected government and that it would be improper for the court to provide orders to the Army and paramilitary forces. As a result, the Court is unable to give instructions about the deployment of a certain battalion of soldiers, etc. Therefore, it instructed the State and Central governments to guarantee the preservation of citizens’ rights to life and liberty in Manipur.