Police personnel take stock of a house, belonging to the Meitei community members, after it was set ablaze by miscreant in Imphal West district, Manipur. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Supreme Court on Monday (August 10, 2026) proposed Special Courts to exclusively hear Manipur ethnic violence cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made a request to the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to constitute Special Courts, separately to hear CBI and NIA cases linked to the 2023 Manipur violence on a day-to-day basis.
The court sought a status report on this aspect by the next date of hearing.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati submitted from the latest status report that out of the 31 cases investigated by the CBI, final reports were filed in 27, including 22 charge sheets and five closure reports. Four cases remain under investigation.
Ms. Bhati said cognisance was already taken in 20 of the 22 chargesheeted cases. The law officer said only one of the 22 cases was triable by a Magistrate, while the remaining involved serious offences to be tried by a Sessions court.
The Supreme Court had previously transferred the CBI cases from Manipur to Gauhati.
The ASG said NIA had investigated a total 30 cases, of which chargesheets were filed in 15 while the remaining 15 were still under investigation.
Earlier hearings had seen the apex court insist on status reports on the investigation detailing evidence to “bring home the guilt” of persons accused of various heinous offences, including the sexual assault and gangrape of women during the sectarian violence that rocked the northeastern State.
The CBI’s status report had revealed that out of 904 witnesses in the CBI cases, 891 were yet to be examined. The request to have exclusive Special Courts for the Manipur cases was prompted by the sheer number of witnesses waiting to testify.
“Having regard to the total number of witnesses proposed to be examined, we request the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to consider the feasibility of allowing the CBI/NIA court to exclusively deal with Manipur-related cases. Other cases be transferred to some other court,” the Court said.
Appearing one of the petitioners, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves lamented the lack of progress in the criminal trials despite the fact that heinous crimes were committed on women and ordinary people and caught on camera.
Ms. Bhati objected to submissions made by Mr. Gonsalves, saying a mechanism for investigation and trial had already been spelt out by the Supreme Court, which has been hearing the Manipur violence cases since 2023.
“To raise these issues again is like going back to the initial days of the writ petition. Legal aid counsel are there. To raise the whole issue again when the Supreme Court has been seized of this matter for the last three years and has passed a series of directions is unnecessary,” Ms. Bhati submitted.
Published – August 10, 2026 01:22 pm IST
