Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Friday proposed the establishment of special courts to conduct day-to-day trials in criminal cases arising from the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur, while directing investigating agencies to expedite pending investigations and ensure that victims receive copies of chargesheets.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was hearing a batch of petitions related to the violence when it noted that several victims and their families had not yet been provided copies of chargesheets filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Manipur Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The court permitted legal aid counsel representing the victims to approach the offices of the Chief Justices of the Gauhati High Court and the Manipur High Court to obtain the chargesheets. It directed the CBI and the SIT to furnish the documents within a week.
The Bench also asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Manipur government, the SIT and the CBI, to submit details of cases in which investigations have been completed and chargesheets filed, along with information on cases where investigations are still pending.
The court said the information would help determine the number of special courts required to ensure the expeditious disposal of violence-related cases.
It further directed the Manipur High Court to examine cases involving 30 persons reported missing since the outbreak of the ethnic violence.
The CBI, state SIT and the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee headed by former Maharashtra Director General of Police Dattatray Padsalgikar have also been directed to file fresh status reports on the progress of the investigations.
Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March organised in the hill districts to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The conflict has since claimed more than 200 lives, left hundreds injured and displaced thousands of people.