Supreme Court directs establishment of special courts for Manipur violence cases

A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued a directive on Monday regarding the legal proceedings for the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur. The court ordered the governments of Manipur and Assam to consider setting up two exclusive special trial courts, with one court dedicated to cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the other to those handled by the National Investigation Agency. The bench further instructed authorities to compile comprehensive details of cases where chargesheets have been filed to ensure accessibility for victims, their families, and legal counsel.

The court also mandated that the registrar general of the relevant high court submit a status report on these matters before the next scheduled hearing. This directive follows a previous decision by the Supreme Court to transfer cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation from Manipur to Gauhati. The establishment of these special courts is intended to facilitate day to day trials for the cases arising from the ethnic violence.