Manipur Violence: Supreme Court Transfers CBI Cases to Assam

The Supreme Court on Friday held that the trial for the Manipur violence cases, under investigation by the CBI, will be conducted in Assam, and it asked the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to appoint one or more judicial officers to handle these cases.

Issuing a series of directives, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra stated that legal proceedings related to the presentation of accused individuals, custody hearings, and extensions will be carried out online at a designated court in Gauhati.

The bench added that if judicial custody is granted to the accused, it will be executed in Manipur to avoid transportation.

The court also allowed individuals associated with CBI cases, such as victims and witnesses, to physically appear before the designated Gauhati court if they prefer not to participate online. Furthermore, the Manipur government has been instructed to ensure proper internet services for smooth online hearings at the Gauhati court.

Earlier on August 21, the Apex Court had appointed the Justice Gita Mittal committee to oversee the relief and rehabilitation efforts for victims of ethnic violence in Manipur. More than 10 cases, including one related to the sexual assault of two women whose video went viral on social media, were transferred to the CBI.

Considering that many residents of Manipur may have lost their identification documents due to the ethnic conflict, the panel appointed by the Supreme Court has urged the court to issue various directives to the state government and other relevant parties, including the UIDAI. The aim is to ensure that Aadhaar cards are provided to those displaced and to broaden the scope of the victims’ compensation scheme.

The panel submitted three reports emphasizing the necessity of reconstructing identity documents, enhancing compensation, and appointing domain experts to support its operations. Since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, which began with a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status, more than 160 individuals have lost their lives and several hundred have been injured in Manipur.