Supreme Court Orders CBI Probe into 11-Year-Old Manipuri Woman's Death in Delhi

A CBI investigation has been ordered by the Supreme Court into the death of a 25-year-old Manipuri woman in Delhi, 11 years after her family alleged that she was killed and raped by powerful politicians.

The contact center worker's mangled corpse was discovered in her blood-spattered Chirag Delhi flat on May 29, 2013, but a two-judge court ruled that the death did not first seem to be a suicide, despite what Delhi police had reported.

The family had contested the Delhi police's special investigation team's findings, and the Delhi High Court had denied their request for a CBI investigation in 2018.

In a recent ruling, the bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Sudhanshu Dhulia stated, "The present appellants, who are close relatives of the deceased and are residents of the State of Manipur, have always claimed that it is a case of rape and murder, and the police (are) trying to shield the accused."

"Apparently there seems to be no reason for a young girl of 25 years of age to commit suicide," the Supreme Court said. It does not seem to be a suicide case at first glance. Blood was splattered over the floor and all over the bed sheet, as shown by the crime scene. Since it seems to be a homicidal killing, the perpetrators need to be found.

The statement went on, saying that unsolved crimes often undermine public confidence in the institutions put in place to uphold law and order. A criminal investigation has to be impartial and successful. We don't discuss the investigation's impartiality, but it's obvious that it hasn't been successful.

"The surviving family members of the dead, who reside in distant Manipur, face significant logistical challenges when contacting officials in Delhi; nonetheless, they remain hopeful and have shown their faith and confidence in this system.

In order to conduct a thorough investigation, allay the appellants' concerns, and bring the true offenders to justice, we believe that this matter should be turned over to the CBI.

The judge made a note of "some puzzling facts."

The authorities only filed an initial police report (FIR) on May 31, 2013, alleging that unknown individuals had assisted in the suicide and left blood all over the room, as well as smashing the deceased's face, according to what we've been told. It was only thereafter changed to a murder charge under Section 302 of the IPC," the statement said.

"A portion of the nose is missing over the right side and a piece is attached on the left side; b) nibbling marks present over both the upper eyelids; c) a 5 cm wound is present over the dorsum of the right foot; margins are irregular and show nibbling marks; d) all wounds are post-mortem in origin," the post-mortem report reads. The body was discovered on May 30, 2013.