The bench posted the next hearing on July 21, 2025, and directed the Manipur Government to submit details on property damage, encroachment, looted buildings, etc.
Digital Desk: The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed that the trials of the Manipur ethnic violence cases, currently probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), would be conducted in Guwahati, Assam. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna extended the tenure of a committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal, the former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court until July 31, 2025.
The bench posted the next hearing on July 21, 2025, and directed the Manipur Government to submit details on property damage, encroachment, looted buildings, etc.
The committee, set up on August 7, 2023, headed by Gita Mittal, was also comprised of former Bombay High Court judge Shalini P Joshi and former Delhi High Court judge Asha Menon. It was formed to supervise relief and rehabilitation efforts for victims of the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis, leaving more than 250 people dead and thousands homeless.
On Monday, the top court noted the submissions of a lawyer over the fate of the trials in the cases that were transferred to Guwahati for pre-trial proceedings on August 25, 2023.
The bench said that the trials would be conducted in Guwahati to ensure a fair process amid the prevailing situation in Manipur. The Apex court moved 27 cases to Guwahati, including the sexual assault case of two women parading naked in a viral video, murder cases, and looting of weapons.
The Supreme Court also directed the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court to nominate one or more judicial officers to deal with the cases.
