NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved setting up two designated special NIA courts, one each in Imphal-East and Imphal-West. These are to conduct trials on eight cases registered so far by the anti-terror federal probe agency relating to arson and loot in ethnic violence-hit Manipur under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the officials said on Tuesday.The troubled state has been witnessing ethnic clashes since first week of May 2023. The cases, which are now being investigated by the NIA, were originally registered and probed by Manipur Police, they said. Quoting the order issued by the counter-terrorism wing in the MHA a senior official said, “In exercise of the powers conferred under section 11 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, the central government, in consultation with the chief justice of the High Court of Manipur, hereby, designates the court of district and sessions judge, Imphal East, and the court of district and sessions judge, Imphal West, as NIA special court-I and NIA special court-II, respectively, in Manipur for the trial of the scheduled offences investigated by the National Investigation Agency.”It is to be noted here that since there was no designated NIA court in the state, the Supreme Court had recently allowed the anti-terror probe agency request to transfer eight criminal cases from Imphal court to Assam.Of late the NIA took over three more cases and re-registered them under provisions of the UAPA following a recent fresh wave of violence.The first case relates to November 11 violence leaving several houses gutted in flames and two civilians killed. Later, unknown militants abducted and murdered six persons, including three women and three children.The second case also pertains to the November 11 attack on a CRPF post at Jakuradhor Karong and Borobekra police stations, Jiribam, by militants. The third case relates to the murder of a woman in Jiribam by militants on November 7.
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