•The Supreme Court asked Attorney-General R. Venkataramani to take instructions from the government on a report submitted by the court-appointed Justice Gita Mittal committee highlighting recent “worrying” happenings in Manipur, which had been rocked by violence in May 2023.
•The committee was formed to oversee relief activities in Manipur.
•Supreme Court also sought status reports from the Manipur government, the CBI, and the National Investigation Agency with respect to their investigations of cases connected to the violence.
•In August 2023, Supreme Court had ordered court proceedings related to the some Manipur violence cases be shifted to Assam.
•Justice Mittal committee report highlights, “all relief activities having stopped”, “protests becoming armed protests”, “Deputy Commissioner’s office burnt down along with relief materials”, and sightings of “worrying public notices”.
•The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a scientific survey of Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district.
•The court said a study was necessary to “demystify” the nature of the complex.
•The site is an ASI-protected 11th-century monument.
•Under an agreement with the ASI, puja is performed in the temple on Tuesday and namaz offered on Friday.
•A writ petition demandS that the Bhojshala complex be handed over to the Hindus and Muslims be stopped from offering namaz there.
•Court ordered “scientific investigation, survey, and excavation, through latest methods like GPR-GPS, carbon dating, etc” by ASI.
•The maintainability of the suit has been challenged citing principle of res judiciata (that a judged matter may not be re-litigated).
•A similar writ petition was dismissed by the High Court’s Principal Bench two decades ago in 2003.