The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed medical treatment of a Kuki undertrial from Manipur at an Assam hospital, saying it did not trust the Manipur government and pointing out that he was denied care because of the community he belongs to.

The court warned that it would take the government in Manipur, helmed by the BJP, to task if the medical report from Guwahati Medical College Hospital turned out to be serious. The petitioner, Lunkhongam Haokip, is an accused in a case related to the ethnic violence in the state.

“Take it from us, Mr Counsel, as an officer of this court, impress upon the authorities that this man should be taken up for treatment…. We do not trust the state. The accused was not taken to hospital because he is from the Kuki community. It’s so sad! We direct him to be examined now…. If the medical report reveals something serious, we will take you (the Manipur government) to task,” a vacation bench headed by Justice J.B. Pardiwala said while directing that Haokip be taken to the Guwahati hospital for a medical examination.

The bench, which included Justice Ujwal Bhuyan, passed the direction while dealing with an appeal filed by Haokip seeking medical tests at a hospital for tuberculosis, piles and other ailments as the requisite facilities were reportedly not available at Manipur Central Jail where he is lodged.

According to the petitioner, he had been denied treatment by the state and Manipur High Court had dismissed his plea for medical examination outside the jail on the ground that taking him out of prison would create serious law-and-order problems.

The apex court passed the directions after going through the medical report submitted by the medical officer of Manipur Central Jail who stated that Haokip was found to have tenderness in the lower lumbar spine and that an X-ray should be done. The facility is not available at the jail.

The Supreme Court sought a report on Haokip’s medical condition by the next date of hearing on July 15.

Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence since May last year in which over 200 people have died and more than 60,000 from both Meitei and Kuki communities have been displaced. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state despite repeated appeals.

On August 7 last year, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud had set up a committee of three women retired high court judges to oversee all aspects of humanitarian relief and rehabilitation in Manipur. The committee was headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal and included Justices Shalini P. Joshi and Asha Menon, former judges of Bombay and Delhi High Courts, respectively.

The court had also directed former Maharashtra DGP Dattatray Padsalgikar to oversee the investigation by the CBI and special investigative teams into the atrocities in Manipur and asked the central agency to bring in at least five police officers from other states on deputation.

Explaining the remit of the judges’ panel, the court had said: “This committee will be broad-based and constituted to supervise, intervene and monitor relief and rehabilitation.”