Overview

• The Supreme Court has closed criminal proceedings against 30 Army personnel involved in a 2021 counter-insurgency operation in Nagaland that resulted in the deaths of 13 civilians.
• The court's decision hinges on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which requires prior sanction from the central government for prosecution of Army personnel.
• The central government denied prosecution sanction in February 2023, but the Nagaland government is challenging this decision in a separate petition.
• The Supreme Court's ruling allows for the possibility of reopening the case if the central government grants the necessary prosecution sanction in the future.
• The Nagaland government's petition argues that the denial of sanction was arbitrary and not based on substantial evidence, and the case remains a point of contention between state and central authorities.