New Delhi | The Supreme Court on Friday proposed the creation of dedicated special courts to conduct day-to-day trials in criminal cases arising from the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur, while directing investigating agencies to expedite pending probes and ensure victims receive copies of chargesheets without further delay.

The directions came during the hearing of a batch of petitions related to the Manipur violence before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana.

Expressing concern over delays in the criminal justice process, the court noted that several victims and their families had not yet been supplied copies of chargesheets filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Manipur Special Investigation Team (SIT), limiting their ability to effectively pursue legal remedies.

To address the issue, the bench permitted legal aid counsel representing the victims to approach the offices of the Chief Justices of the Gauhati High Court and the Manipur High Court to obtain the necessary documents. It also directed both the CBI and the SIT to provide copies of the chargesheets to the affected parties within one week.

In a move aimed at accelerating the prosecution of violence-related cases, the Supreme Court sought comprehensive data from the investigating agencies on the status of all registered cases. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Manipur government, the CBI and the SIT, was asked to furnish details of completed investigations, chargesheets already filed, and cases where investigations remain pending.

The bench observed that the information would help determine the number of dedicated special courts required to conduct continuous hearings and ensure the timely disposal of cases linked to the violence.

The court also directed the Manipur High Court to examine cases involving 30 people who have remained missing since the outbreak of the ethnic conflict in May 2023.

Further, the Supreme Court ordered the CBI, the Manipur SIT and the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, headed by former Maharashtra Director General of Police Dattatray Padsalgikar, to submit fresh status reports on the progress of ongoing investigations.

The monitoring committee was constituted by the apex court to oversee investigations into serious offences arising from the violence and to ensure accountability in the probe process.

The ethnic conflict in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, following a “Tribal Solidarity March” organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The unrest rapidly escalated into widespread violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.

Since then, the conflict has claimed more than 200 lives, injured hundreds of people and displaced thousands, making it one of the most prolonged episodes of ethnic violence in the state’s recent history.

Friday’s directions underscore the Supreme Court’s continuing oversight of the investigation and prosecution process, with the court seeking to ensure faster investigations, timely trials and greater access to justice for victims affected by the violence.