Supreme Court Extends Tenure of Manipur Violence Committee Till July 31, 2026

Law Notify : The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday extended till July 31, 2026, the tenure of the court-appointed committee constituted to address gender-based violence during the ethnic conflict in Manipur.

A Bench led by Surya Kant, Chief Justice of India, noted that although the committee had continued functioning beyond July 2025, no formal judicial order had recorded an extension of its mandate. To regularise its continuation, the Court formally extended the committee’s tenure until July 31, 2026.

The high-level committee was constituted by the Supreme Court in August 2023 while exercising its plenary powers under Articles 32 and 142 of the Constitution, in response to prolonged ethnic violence in Manipur. The panel was tasked with ensuring justice, rehabilitation, and institutional redress for victims, with a specific focus on survivors of sexual violence.

The committee is headed by Gita Mittal, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, and includes Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, former judge of the Bombay High Court, and Asha Menon, former judge of the Delhi High Court. It follows a victim-centric and rights-based approach grounded in constitutional guarantees and India’s international obligations, including commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Beyond facilitating legal aid and psychosocial support, the committee supervises the grant of compensation and restitution to victims, including losses arising from damage to movable and immovable property. The Supreme Court has authorised the panel to issue binding directions to the State of Manipur for assessment and disbursal of compensation, in line with restorative justice principles and statutory frameworks such as Section 357A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and applicable victim compensation schemes.

To ensure continuous judicial oversight, the committee has been directed to submit fortnightly status reports directly to the Supreme Court. Earlier, a Bench headed by former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had said the committee’s purpose was twofold: to restore public confidence in the justice delivery system and to reaffirm the primacy of the rule of law amid administrative failure and institutional breakdown.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly expressed serious concern over the targeting of women during the Manipur violence, holding that sexual crimes committed in such circumstances constitute grave violations of constitutional morality. The Court has underscored that such acts infringe the fundamental rights to dignity, personal liberty, and bodily autonomy under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution, and that the State has a non-derogable obligation to prevent gender-based violence, consistent with settled precedent.

The proceedings stemmed from the Court’s suo motu cognisance of disturbing viral videos showing two tribal women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted during the violence. The survivors later alleged that the Manipur Police had colluded with the mob, rather than acting to prevent the crimes.

After examining the record, the Supreme Court criticised delays in investigation, describing them as tardy, and pointed to significant gaps between the commission of serious offences such as murder, rape, and arson, and the registration of FIRs, in violation of statutory and judicial mandates requiring prompt investigation.

While declining to constitute a Special Investigation Team, the Court appointed former IPS officer Dattatray Padsalgikar to supervise and monitor the investigation to ensure fairness and accountability. To shield the trial process from local influence, the Court directed the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to designate courts in Guwahati, Assam, for conducting trials in sexual violence cases transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation at the request of the Manipur government.

The Supreme Court has reiterated that these trials will continue before the designated courts in Guwahati, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring fair, impartial, and expeditious justice for victims of the Manipur violence.