Supreme Court asks CBI to file status report in Manipur violence cases within 2 weeks; mulls High Court monitoring

The CJI further stated that either the Manipur High Court, the Guwahati High Court, or both could continue supervising developments and asked lawyers to seek instructions and revert within two weeks.

• Supreme Court asks CBI for status report on Manipur violence FIRs
• Trial monitoring may move to Manipur or Guwahati High Court
• Centre, Manipur urged to implement Justice Mittal panel's rehab steps

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The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report within two weeks on its investigation into 11 First Information Reports (FIRs_ stemming from the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, also explored whether oversight of the trials should shift from the apex court to the jurisdictional high court in Manipur, the Guwahati High Court, or a coordinated arrangement between the two.

Monitoring of trials under consideration

During the hearing, CJI Kant indicated that the top court may step back from directly supervising proceedings. “Let the CBI file a status report,” the CJI said, while suggesting, “The monitoring part we can entrust to the (Manipur) High Court's Chief Justice.”

When counsel pointed out that the Guwahati High Court was already overseeing certain aspects of the trials, the bench observed that it was a “perfectly alright” order given the tense backdrop in the state.

The CJI further stated that either the Manipur High Court, the Guwahati High Court, or both could continue supervising developments and asked lawyers to seek instructions and revert within two weeks.

“We can ask the Chief Justices of Manipur and Guwahati High Courts to coordinate and see how victims' statements need to be handled and how they can be recorded,” CJI Surya Kant said.

He noted that a new Chief Justice had assumed office in the Manipur High Court and highlighted the need for an “effective mechanism for coordination” between the two high courts. Instructions were sought on whether both Chief Justices could be entrusted with “varied monitoring” so that an appropriate framework could be devised.

Concerns over victim’s case

At the outset, senior advocate Vrinda Grover, representing a woman victim who recently passed away, sought substitution of her client by the deceased woman’s mother. She alleged that the CBI had failed to inform the victim about the filing of a chargesheet in her rape case.

Grover told the bench, “I have accessed the trial court report… The main accused are not appearing. The CBI is not present… The casualness with which it is happening is shocking,” adding that the Kuki woman had died last month from an illness allegedly connected to trauma following the gang rape.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, responded, “Nobody can oppose what Grover is saying. The victim's rights cannot be affected.”

He stated that the CBI could clarify the concerns either before the Supreme Court or the Manipur High Court, and remarked that the situation in the state had stabilized, with normal movement of people resuming.

The CJI also underscored the need to ensure access to legal assistance for survivors. “Also, victims must be provided with free legal aid in these situations. We will order that if legal aid counsels (LACs) are not available on account of the earlier charged atmosphere, LACs from the Guwahati bar can go,” he said.

Implementation of rehabilitation measures

Apart from the criminal proceedings, the bench turned its attention to rehabilitation efforts. It directed both the Centre and the Manipur government to implement the recommendations of the Justice Gita Mittal committee, which was appointed to oversee relief and welfare measures for those affected by the violence.

The court-appointed panel, comprising Justice Mittal, former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir, along with Justices Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon, has submitted multiple reports addressing rehabilitation concerns.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for a tribal body forum representing Kuki tribals, informed the court that numerous reports had been filed but were not available to affected groups.

“Two committees had been appointed. One for criminal justice and one for rehabilitation. Twenty-seven reports have been filed in this court, and we don't have a single copy with us,” he said.

“The reason why we want this is that rehabilitation is at a standstill. Prosecution is very low,” he added. The bench, however, expressed apprehension that the documents contained sensitive material that could reach “somewhere else.” Gonsalves suggested that confidential sections could be redacted before sharing.

Background and next hearing

The violence in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ held in the hill districts to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, over 200 people have lost their lives, hundreds have sustained injuries, and thousands have been displaced.

Last month, the Supreme Court extended the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal committee until July 31 to continue supervising relief and rehabilitation initiatives. The matter is now scheduled for further consideration on February 26.