NEW DELHI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- India's top court Friday directed the country's premier investigating agency - Central Bureau of India (CBI) - to probe into the alleged extra-judicial killings in northeastern state of Manipur.
The court asked the CBI director to appoint a team of officers to conduct the probe into the alleged killings at the hands of army, paramilitary and police.
"CBI will look into these cases of deaths," the court said. "We have ordered the CBI director to constitute a team in two weeks."
The Supreme Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking probe and compensation in the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings from 2000 to 2012.
The apex court pulled up local Manipur government for not taking action into alleged staged gunfights by armed forces.
Rights groups accuse government forces of misusing a controversial anti- insurgency law - Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) - to commit rights abuses. However, the government and armed forces deny any such charges.
AFSPA gives forces the extraordinary powers to search and shoot a person on mere suspicion and provides impunity to the troopers.
Manipur is a conflict- ridden state in India's northeast. Several separatist groups in the state have run long armed insurgency. The groups often target Indian armed forces in the state.
