The UN Human Rights Committee has recommended that the Government of India (GoI) abolish the requirement for mandatory prior authorization for the prosecution of security and armed forces personnel. This move, welcomed by the Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) and Human Rights Alert (HRA), addresses concerns that such sanctions obstruct trials for alleged human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings.

During its 4th periodic review of India under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on July 15-16, 2024, in Geneva, the Committee raised the Manipur issue multiple times. The Committee’s concluding observations, published as UN document CCPR/C/IND/CO/4 on July 25, 2024, highlighted the problem of widespread impunity due to the prosecution sanction regime.

The Committee’s report noted that despite the Supreme Court of India’s 2016 directive for thorough investigations into allegations of extrajudicial killings, there has been limited progress. Out of 1,528 documented instances in Manipur from 1979 to 2012, only 39 First Information Reports were registered, with many blocked due to refusal of prosecution sanctions.

The Committee urged India to: 1) bolish the mandatory prior authorization requirement, 2) Investigate human rights violations thoroughly and impartially, 3) prosecute and penalize perpetrators accordingly; 4) Ensure victims have access to effective remedies.

EEVFAM and HRA express hope that the GoI will swiftly implement these recommendations to advance justice.