The hearing was meant to review the progress of investigations and trials, and it did that. But it was overtaken by what the Court called shocking material: a report of an unnatural death resulting from sexual assault, of deaths of internally displaced persons in relief camps where post-mortems were conducted in only a fraction of cases, and of compensation of only Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 paid to affected families. The Court directed the State to account for all of it on affidavit and ordered FIRs in every case of unnatural death.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, hearing a batch of petitions concerning the investigation and trial of sexual violence cases arising from the Manipur ethnic conflict, has expressed shock at reports of unnatural deaths of internally displaced persons in relief camps and of the meagre compensation paid to affected families, and directed the State’s Chief Secretary to file a comprehensive affidavit accounting for the deaths and the measures taken in the camps.
The matter was heard by a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
The status of the investigations and trials
The Court was apprised of the progress recorded in the sixteenth status report filed by the former Director General of Police overseeing the monitoring, and in reports from the Legal Services Authority.
As placed before the Court, forty-two Special Investigation Teams working across eight districts had been entrusted with about 3,020 cases; chargesheets had been filed in 302, closure reports in 1,583, and 1,135 remained under investigation, with trial commenced in a small number. The CBI was handling 31 cases, having filed chargesheets in 28 and closure reports in six, with three still under investigation; it had cited 978 witnesses, of whom only six had so far been examined, and 38 persons had been arrested. On the NIA cases, the Court noted that the Registrar General of the Gauhati High Court had communicated the need for two dedicated courts, and directed that this be ensured immediately.
Counsel for the victims submitted that the Special Court at Gauhati, hearing the transferred cases as an additional charge, was able to take them up only two days a week, and the Court, on request, ordered that matters concerning the grant of bail to the accused be segregated and heard separately. On the pace of trial, the Chief Justice observed that the Court had sufficiently conveyed its concerns to the Chief Justice of the High Court and that it was not appropriate to say more at this stage, expressing confidence that the judicial officers would continue to handle the cases with commitment.
The deaths in relief camps
The graver part of the hearing concerned material flagged by the Committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal, which oversees relief and rehabilitation. The Court recorded that it was shocked to learn of an incident of unnatural death resulting from sexual assault, as reported before it.
It further recorded that a report referred to 640 deaths in relief camps across eight districts, that post-mortems had been conducted in only 20 cases, and that criminal cases had been registered. The Court noted, in terms, that the material shockingly highlighted that compensation of only Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 had been paid.
The Chief Justice questioned the Manipur Advocate General on why information the Committee had sought in July, regarding 25 unnatural deaths of internally displaced persons in relief camps, had still not been provided, and observed that the State should not invite orders from the Court, and that the Court also wished to know what measures the State had taken.
The directions
The Court directed the Chief Secretary of Manipur to provide complete information regarding all 25 unnatural deaths reported, including post-mortem reports, documents identifying the causes of death, and details of the remedial and safety measures taken for internally displaced persons in relief camps, and to ensure that adequate medical facilities and daily necessities are available in the camps.
It directed the Chief Secretary to file an affidavit giving complete details of deaths in relief camps, particularly the unnatural deaths, and to explain why post-mortems had been conducted in only 20 cases and why only a meagre amount had been paid as compensation.
The Manipur State Legal Services Authority was directed to take up the issue immediately and to ensure that FIRs are registered in every case of unnatural death, that the cause of death is properly ascertained, that necessary measures are taken to protect the safety and dignity of internally displaced persons and victims in the relief camps, and that FIRs already registered are investigated expeditiously.
On the protection of victims’ identities, the Court noted that the Legal Services Authority’s report contained sensitive details identifying victims, their legal heirs and the legal-aid counsel assigned to them. It permitted a copy to be supplied to counsel while recording the assurance that such information would not be disclosed or made public.
Why it matters
The Court’s continuing supervision of the Manipur cases has moved, in this hearing, beyond the pace of investigation and trial to the conditions in which displaced survivors are living and dying. The figures the Court recorded, deaths in relief camps with post-mortems in only a fraction of them, and compensation the Court itself described as meagre, raise the possibility that some of these deaths have gone uninvestigated, which is why the direction for an FIR in every case of unnatural death matters: it converts a statistic in a status report into a set of individual investigations with a duty to ascertain how each person died.
The trial-progress numbers, taken together, tell their own story of scale and delay: thousands of cases, hundreds of chargesheets, and, on the CBI side, six of 978 cited witnesses examined so far. The transfer of trials out of Manipur, the push for dedicated CBI and NIA courts, and the separation of bail matters are all directed at making a system built for ordinary caseloads carry an extraordinary one, without letting the sheer volume defeat the survivors’ right to a timely trial.
Running through the hearing is the Court’s insistence on the dignity of the survivors, both in life and after death, and on their anonymity. The care taken over the report identifying victims reflects the strict legal protection that attaches to the identity of those who have suffered sexual violence, and this report follows that in referring to no victim by name or identifying detail. What can be reported is the direction of the Court, which is that the State account fully, register cases where it has not, and ensure that people who fled violence are not left to die uncounted in the camps meant to shelter them. The matter remains under the Court’s continuing supervision.
Case: Batch of petitions concerning the investigation and trial of sexual violence and related cases arising from the Manipur ethnic conflict
Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, Supreme Court of India
Date of Hearing: September 17, 2026
Status: Chief Secretary of Manipur directed to file an affidavit on relief-camp deaths and compensation. Legal Services Authority directed to ensure FIRs in every unnatural death. Bail matters segregated. Matter under continuing supervision.
This report concerns violence and sexual assault and may be distressing. If you or someone you know needs support, the Tele-MANAS national mental health helpline can be reached at 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, round the clock, in multiple languages.