SC's Manipur Committee: Meet Retired Judges With Gender Justice Record And Ex-Mumbai Top Cop

The Supreme Court put forth a proposition on Monday to establish a committee comprising three former High Court judges to address the humanitarian dimensions of the Manipur crisis. Additionally, the Court suggested appointing a former top police officer from Mumbai to oversee the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) investigation into cases of sexual violence in Manipur.

The panel of three will be led by former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal. Justices Shalini Joshi and Asha Menon will also be part of this committee. The monitoring of the CBI inquiry will be entrusted to Dattatray Padsalgikar.

Justice Gita Mittal: Gita Mittal became the first woman Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and concluded her tenure in December 2020. Her tenure coincided with the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre, which marked the end of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. During her service, she played a pivotal role in establishing special courtrooms for vulnerable witnesses, such as children in sexual offense cases, to provide testimony. Her contributions led to her being awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Justice Shalini Joshi: Justice Joshi, who retired in February 2019, was elevated to the Bombay High Court in 2015. She is renowned for handling significant cases involving crimes against women. Her notable achievements include finding three convicts guilty in the Shakti Mills photojournalist gang-rape case. She holds a PhD in laws related to child sexual abuse and has been actively involved in training judicial officers on gender-related offenses.

Justice Asha Menon: Retired from the Delhi High Court in September 2022, Justice Menon had previously served as a District and Sessions Judge in south Delhi before her elevation to the Delhi High Court in May 2019. Throughout her 33-year career as a district judge, she held crucial judicial and administrative positions. Notably, she was the Member Secretary of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in 2012, and her efforts contributed to NALSA's representation of transgender persons before the Supreme Court, leading to the landmark recognition of the third gender.

Dattatray Padsalgikar: A 1982-batch former IPS officer, Padsalgikar's career largely involved the Intelligence Bureau (IB). In 2016, he was appointed the Mumbai Police Commissioner by then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Padsalgikar later became the Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra and subsequently a Deputy Lokayukta of the state following his retirement in 2018. He was also designated Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA). Known for his role in counter-terrorism operations, he significantly contributed to gathering evidence against non-state actors in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. His practical approach was evident in approving a constable's proposal to modify police timings during his tenure as Mumbai Police Chief.