NEW DELHI, Feb 5: The Supreme Court has granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) permission to relieve Datla Sreenivasa Varma from his position as the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur. A bench consisting of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justices Sanjay Kumar, and KV Viswanathan was hearing the case related to the unlawful killings allegedly carried out by armed forces in the state.
The CBI had filed an application to replace Varma, who serves as Joint Director and Head of the North East Zone at the CBI. During the proceedings, the bench approved the application to remove him from his role in the SIT. The CBI was represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, while Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy appeared as amicus curiae in the case.
The Supreme Court has been closely monitoring the investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings since July 2017, when a bench led by Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta directed the CBI to set up an SIT to probe the matter. In July 2018, another bench led by Justices M.B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit summoned the CBI Director, expressing concerns over delays in the investigation and the prolonged timeline.
In 2022, the court instructed the Union of India to submit a status report on the progress of the investigation. The recent decision to relieve Varma as SIT in-charge marks a new chapter in the ongoing legal scrutiny of the case, with the investigation continuing under the Court’s vigilant oversight.
