Need for transitional justice is acute in India

In view of the widespread abuse of draconian provisions in the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in certain "disturbed" areas, there is an acute need for "transitional justice" in India, argues a professor at the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Sonipat, Haryana.

"Whether transitional justice should happen alongside AFSPA or only once AFSPA is repealed/withdrawn is an ongoing debate, but definitely the need for transitional justice is acute in the country," Y.S.R. Murthy, Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights Studies, Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), told IANS in an email interview. 

In a transitional justice framework -- which complements criminal prosecutions through a series of non-judicial processes -- the focus, while being on victims, is also on healing and reconciliation.

Earlier in December, The Centre for Human Rights Studies and the Centre for the Study of Knowledge Systems of JGLS organised a consultation on "Potential Transitional Justice Framework for Manipur". At the centre of the discussion was an investigation into as many as 1,528 alleged cases of extra-judicial killings in the troubled northeastern state.

The Supreme Court in 2017 set up a Special Investigation Team comprising CBI officers and ordered registration of FIRs and investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings in the state.The court had ordered the registration of FIRs in 81 cases, including 32 probed by a Commission of Inquiry, 32 investigated by judicial authorities, 11 in which compensation was awarded and six probed by a Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde.