Kohima, Sept 17: The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside criminal proceedings against 30 Army personnel accused of killing 13 civilians in Nagaland’s Mon district in 2021.

A bench led by Justice Vikram Nath allowed the appeal filed by the wife of one of the implicated officers, closing the proceedings initiated through First Information Reports.

The December 4, 2021, incident saw an Army team mistakenly fire at a pickup truck carrying miners in Oting village, killing six civilians. Eight more civilians were killed in subsequent violence.

The Centre had refused to grant sanction under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, for their prosecution.

The Nagaland Assembly had unanimously resolved to demand AFSPA’s repeal from Nagaland following the incident.