Manipur violence: Cases to be tried in Guwahati itself, says Supreme Court

Supreme Court extends panel's tenure overseeing Manipur ethnic violence cases, directs trials to be held in Guwahati.

The Supreme Court on Monday (March 17, 2025) said the trial of the Manipur ethnic violence cases, probed by the CBI, would be conducted in Guwahati, Assam, where it was transferred to earlier.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna also extended till July 31, 2025, the tenure of a committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal, the former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The panel, also comprising former Bombay High Court judge Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon, former Delhi High Court judge, was set up on August 7, 2023 by the top court to oversee relief and rehabilitation of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur.

The tenure of the panel was previously extended by the top court by six months on August 5, last year.

On Monday (March 17, 2025), the bench noted the submissions of a lawyer over the fate of the trials in the cases that were transferred to Guwahati for pre-trial proceedings by the bench on August 25, 2023.

“We clarify that the trial of transferred cases will be held before the courts at Guwahati,” the CJI said.

Keeping in mind the “overall environment in Manipur and the need for ensuring a fair process of criminal justice administration”, the top court transferred to Assam, 27 cases, having various offences, including the sexual assault case of the two women seen in a viral video being paraded naked.