NEW DELHI: The ongoing trial in the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence needs to be expedited and a status report sought from the authorities, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.
Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2025, after a “tribal solidarity march” was organized in the hill areas. The protest was organized against the Meitei community’s claim to Scheduled Tribe status. The violence claimed the lives of more than 260 people and displaced thousands of people.
On Wednesday, a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalia Bagchi noted that as per the SIT report, chargesheets have been filed in 207 cases against more than 400 accused.
The bench was hearing a plea by the CBI against the grant of bail by the Gauhati High Court to two accused, Arun Khundungpam and Namirakpam Kiran Mete, who allegedly gang-raped the victims and paraded them naked.
“We are of the view that the ongoing trial needs to be expedited. We have requested the CBI and others to provide a well-versed Manipuri legal aid counselor to advise the victims…The status of the ongoing trial should be submitted in the next hearing.”
Initially, the authority said that the matter would consider the issue of providing legal assistance to the families of victims, and that it would not conflict with other cases.
Referring to the CBI report, the bench said that 20 indictments have been filed and trials have begun in 16 cases, while, according to the Special Court’s status report, indictments have been filed in 207 cases against more than 400 accused.
The bench also noted that according to a report submitted by former IPS officer Dattatrai Padsalgekar, the law and order situation in the state was “perilous” on April 7 and 18 this year with some violent incidents and pressure was put on the state police.
The authority also said that victims’ trust in the system was of key importance and that “confidence-building measures” with them were needed.
On September 8, 2025, the Gauhati High Court granted bail to the accused on the grounds that they had been detained for two years while charges were yet to be filed against them, terming it as “unjustified long imprisonment”.
“Although the charges here are serious and shocking, this court cannot overlook that indefinite detention without trial amounts to pre-trial punishment, which is not permissible in law,” the Guwahati High Court said in its order.
The CBI sought cancellation of bail over serious allegations of sexual violence.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, lawyer Nizam Pasha, who represented some of the victims, said the same court, which on May 9, 2025 had noted the heinous nature of the crimes, granted bail on September 8 on grounds of delay.
“Since it is a matter of freedom, there must be an egregious reason for cancellation of bail. Our main concern is to bring home the truth, and for that reason, whatever rehabilitation measures are necessary, we will examine..,” the apex court bench said.
Earlier in March, the Supreme Court had directed the appointment of a Victim Legal Aid Advisor by the State Legal Services Authority.
On July 20, 2023, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance after a video of the assault surfaced online and was widely shared months later, sparking nationwide outrage. The violence was preceded by earlier tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller disturbances.
In August 2023, the Center constituted the Justice Geeta Mittal Committee to oversee the relief and rehabilitation of victims of ethnic violence in Manipur on the recommendation of the Manipur government, citing the need for an inquiry into a matter of public importance. Her term was recently extended until July 31.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
