The apex court directed probe agencies to complete pending investigations quickly and ensure victims receive copies of chargesheets.
July 24, 2026: The Supreme Court on Friday proposed the creation of special courts to conduct day-to-day trials in criminal cases arising from the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence. A Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, also directed investigating agencies to expedite pending probes and noted that many victims and their families were yet to receive copies of the chargesheets filed by the CBI and the state Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The court allowed legal aid lawyers representing victims to approach the offices of the Chief Justices of the Gauhati High Court and the Manipur High Court to obtain copies of the chargesheets. It directed the investigating agencies to provide these documents within one week. The Bench also asked the CBI, the state SIT and the court-appointed monitoring committee headed by former Maharashtra DGP Dattatray Padsalgikar to submit fresh status reports on the violence-related investigations.
The Bench instructed the Centre to provide details of completed and pending investigations so that the number of special courts required for speedy trials could be determined. It also directed the Manipur High Court to examine cases involving 30 people reported missing after the violence. The ethnic clashes, which began on May 3, 2023, have claimed more than 200 lives, injured hundreds and displaced thousands following protests over the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.