New Delhi | The Supreme Court has directed its court-appointed committee headed by former High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal to verify claims that around 24,000 families affected by the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence are yet to receive rehabilitation and welfare benefits.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing petitions concerning the rehabilitation of people who lost their homes, properties and sources of livelihood during the violence.

The court took note of steps taken by the government for rehabilitation, including the disbursement of funds to more than 4,000 beneficiaries from around 7,000 identified families for reconstruction of houses.

Under the rehabilitation scheme, the government provides Rs 5 lakh for a kutcha house and Rs 7 lakh for a semi-pucca or pucca house, the bench noted. The court was also informed that more than 12,000 houses had been approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for families affected by the violence.

Senior advocate Vibha Dutt Makhija, appearing for the Justice Gita Mittal Committee, apprised the bench of the measures undertaken for rehabilitation. The court also noted that temporary shelters had been constructed and Rs 51.95 crore released to 885 identified beneficiaries for construction of permanent houses.

In addition, families whose houses were completely destroyed have received an additional Rs 1 lakh per household, the court noted. However, lawyers representing some of the affected families claimed that nearly 24,000 families were still awaiting rehabilitation and welfare benefits.

The lawyers said details of the families had already been submitted to the three-member committee and that the claims could be verified through ground-level assessment. “If that is so, we request the committee to verify and confirm the particulars of the alleged affected families,” Chief Justice Surya Kant said.

The bench directed the committee to submit a note on the implementation of government welfare schemes identified by the Supreme Court in its May 27, 2026 order.

Property claims sent to committee

The Supreme Court also referred an application concerning properties belonging to families affected by the violence to the Justice Mittal-led committee for verification. The committee has been asked to examine the particulars and present status of the properties and submit its findings to the court.

The bench also took note of claims relating to damage to places of worship. A list of 276 properties requiring verification was placed before the court. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves separately informed the bench about a list of 20 churches where encroachment was allegedly carried out.

The court directed the Justice Gita Mittal-led committee to examine the representations and verify the claims on the basis of relevant documents and land records. Authorities have also been directed to ensure that no further encroachment takes place on properties found to be covered by the claims.

The committee will submit its findings to the Supreme Court after completing the verification process. The ethnic violence in Manipur erupted on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March in the hill districts against the demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the majority Meitei community.

The violence has left more than 200 people dead, hundreds injured and thousands displaced, with large numbers of families losing homes, property and livelihoods.