Supreme Court bats for exclusive courts to deal with CBI, NIA cases arising out of Manipur violence

The Supreme Court on Monday urged the authorities to consider setting up two trial courts that could exclusively deal with cases arising out of the 2023 Manipur violence that were investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The Court made the suggestion after taking stock of the investigations conducted into cases by the CBI and the NIA.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana was hearing the matter

CJI Kant stated that the Court was concerned about whether the existing Special Judges handling CBI and NIA cases related to the Manipur violence were also dealing with other matters.

“Our concern is whether these courts are dealing exclusively with the CBI and NIA cases arising out of the Manipur violence or whether they are also dealing with other cases,” he said.

The Court proceeded to direct the authorities to consider setting up two separate exclusive courts, one for CBI cases and another for NIA cases arising from the Manipur violence. The Registrar General of the Gauhati High Court was directed to submit a status report before the next hearing.

Additionally, the Court directed that details of the cases be compiled and made available to lawyers and families of those affected.

“The request is that particulars of those cases, including the relevant case numbers and status of the proceedings, be made available so that the legal counsel as well as the families concerned have access to the reports and proceedings,” said CJI Kant.

He also took note of the security situation in Manipur and directed the State and central security agencies to ensure that the CBI and NIA could carry out their investigations without interruption.

“With respect to the law-and-order situation, the CBI and NIA shall be facilitated so that they are able to carry out their investigation uninterruptedly,” said CJI Kant.

Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati informed the Court that the CBI has filed final reports in 27 of 31 Manipur violence cases, while the NIA has filed charge sheets in 15 of 30 cases.

Of the 27 CBI cases in which final reports have been filed, 22 are charge sheets and five are closure reports. Four cases remain under investigation. Cognisance has been taken in 20 of the 22 charge-sheeted cases, while it is pending in two. All CBI cases have been transferred to Gauhati said Bhati.

She further informed that of the 30 cases entrusted to the NIA, 15 remain under investigation. Charges have already been framed in seven of the 15 charge-sheeted cases. Two of these cases are before courts in Delhi, five in Gauhati and eight in Manipur.

The violence in Manipur stemmed from the opposition of certain tribes to the demand of Scheduled Tribes status for the majority Meitei community.

On April 19, 2023, the Manipur High Court had ordered the Manipur government to “consider inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, expeditiously, preferably within a period of four weeks” from the date of the order.

This directive sparked violent ethnic clashes within the State between the Meitei and Kuki–Zo communities.

After a video of two women being paraded naked amid the violence went viral, the Supreme Court eventually took suo motu cognisance of the issue. It has, since then, issued various directions to help curb such clashes and for the benefit of victims of such violence. In 2024, the Manipur High Court recalled its controversial April 2023 directive.

The Supreme Court has since issued a series of directions concerning criminal investigations, trials, rehabilitation and the protection of victims of the violence. In July 2026, the Court had indicated that it was considering special courts to conduct day-to-day trials of the cases to address delays in the criminal justice process.

Today, the Court also reviewed the rehabilitation of people displaced by the violence. It noted that funds had been disbursed to over 4,000 of around 7,000 identified beneficiaries for house reconstruction, while more than 12,000 houses had been approved under the PMAY-G scheme.

Some affected families, however, claimed that around 24,000 families were yet to receive benefits. The Court asked the three-member committee to verify the claims and report back.

The committee was also directed to verify claims of encroachment at 276 properties linked to places of worship and 20 churches, based on relevant material and land records, and ensure that no further encroachment takes place.

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