3 min readNew DelhiFeb 27, 2026 02:15 AM IST
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the CBI and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the ethnic violence that rocked Manipur in 2023 to share the copies of the chargesheets filed in the cases with the victims and kin.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi issued the direction after perusing the status report filed by former Maharashtra DGP Dattatray Padsalgikar, who is monitoring the investigations.
The SC had appointed Padsalgikar on August 11, 2023, to supervise the probe by the CBI and state police in Manipur, and asked him to also โinvestigate the allegations that certain police officers colluded with perpetrators of violence (including sexual violence) during the conflictโ.
Hearing the Manipur violence-related matters on February 13, the SC had sought a fresh report on the status of the investigation.
Padsalgikar, in his report, said CBI had filed chargesheets before the special court in 20 violence cases and that investigation in 6 other FIRs is still on and would need 6 months more. The court asked the Central probe agency to complete the investigations in time and file chargesheets within the stipulated time.
Advocate Vrinda Grover appearing on behalf of some of the victims said the families have no clue regarding the fate of the cases and urged the court to ask the prosecuting agencies to keep them updated to which the court agreed and directed supply of chargesheets.
The court asked the Manipur State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) and the Assam State Legal Services Authority to provide a free legal aid counsel, who is proficient in the local language, to each victim. It also asked the SLSA to bear the expenses of the victims and their family members for travel and stay in Guwahati where the trial was going on.
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The SC bench also expressed disappointment that no reimbursement for travel and work has yet been made to the members of the three-judges committee headed by former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice Gita Mittal.
The SC had appointed the Committee on August 7, 2023, to look into the humanitarian aspects of the crisis.
The bench will now hear the matter in the third week of March.
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ยฉ The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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