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The standoff between the judiciary and the legislature in the northeastern state of Manipur has resulted in two high court judges fleeing the state capital Imphal on Wednesday after the state government withdrew their security cover.
In retaliation to the government's action, the Imphal branch of the Gauhati Bar Association began an indefinite strike on Thursday.
Justice Surjamani Singh and Justice B B Deb of the Imphal bench of the Gauhati high court left Imphal on Wednesday by different means. While Justice Singh left by road under escort provided by the Border Security Force, Justice Deb took the flight to Guwahati.
The crisis between the judiciary and the legislature erupted after a flurry of contempt of court cases came up for hearing at the Imphal bench early this week.
While most of the cases were against IAS officers from the state, in one particular case even chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh was summoned by the judges.
On Tuesday Justice Surjamani Singh ordered the imprisonment of Higher Education Commissioner I S Laishram in yet another contempt case relating to the education directorate. The high court ordered that the officer be lodged in Sajiwa jail for 10 days for failing to obey its order.
In another development, the chief judicial magistrate of Imphal issued arrest warrants against three other IAS officers following a directive of the Imphal bench of the Gauhati high court. The officers are: School Education Commissioner Sambhu Singh, Power Commissioner Ch Virendra and Director of Food and Civil Supplies D Vaiphai.
While Singh and Vaiphai were remanded to judicial custody for 30 days, Virendra was remanded to judicial custody for 10 days. The sentences were all for contempt of court.
Following these developments, the state assembly, which was in session, admitted a privilege motion against the judges after Chief Minister Ibobi Singh informed it that he could not function properly in the circumstances.
On Wednesday, Manipur Governor Ved Marwah left for New Delhi to report on the latest crisis to the President. On Tuesday, the state government had written to Marwah formally to pardon the four IAS officers.
As the standoff continued, curfew had to be clamped around the judges colony on Tuesday night. The two judges, however, thought it prudent to leave Imphal after it became evident that tempers were running high among Congress workers.
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