Ajai Lamba, former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, resigned as chairperson of the three-member Commission of Inquiry set up by the Union Home Ministry in 2023 to probe Manipur’s ethnic violence. He will be replaced by former Supreme Court judge Balbir Singh Chauhan, leading the Leh violence inquiry.
Ajai Lamba, the former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, stepped down as the chairperson of the three-member Commission of Inquiry established by the Union Home Ministry in 2023 to investigate the ethnic violence in Manipur.
He will be succeeded by former Supreme Court judge Balbir Singh Chauhan, who is currently leading the judicial inquiry into the violence that occurred in Leh city last September.
The conclusion of the judicial report on the Ladakh violence has yet to be announced.
Justice (retd.) Lamba informed The Hindu that he resigned a few days prior due to “personal grounds.”
Since its establishment on June 4, 2023, following a month of violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in Manipur, the commission has received four extensions, with the latest set to end on December 16, 2025. It has gathered approximately 11,000 affidavits.
According to a government source, the commission has categorized the affidavits and compiled a list of individuals who will testify in Delhi.
The source stated,
“The security and safety of the witnesses will have to be ensured. The commission will take care of their travel, stay, and other logistics. As the Kuki-Zo people do not want to go to Imphal to record their statements, arrangements will have to be made in Delhi. Similarly, the Meitei people will also be called to Delhi,”
Evidence recording by government officials and the public is expected to commence soon.
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In a notification from the Ministry on Thursday (February 26, 2026), it was stated,
“Consequent upon the acceptance of resignation of Honourable Justice Ajai Lamba, former Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court from the post of the Chairperson of Commission of Inquiry appointed for the purpose of making an inquiry into a definite matter of public importance, namely, incidents of violence in Manipur, w.e.f. 28.02.2026, the Central Government hereby appoints Honourable Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, former Justice in Supreme Court of India, w.e.f. 01.03.2026, as Chairperson of the said Commission in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section 3 of section (3) of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 (60 of 1952).”
The notification further indicated that the commission’s terms of reference and other conditions would remain unchanged.
The ethnic violence in Manipur has resulted in approximately 250 fatalities, destruction of thousands of properties, and displacement of over 60,000 individuals.
Also Read: “Don’t Use Proceedings for Violence” : CJI On Manipur Violence
President’s Rule was implemented in the state on February 13, 2025, and on February 4 of this year, Yumnam Khemchand Singh was sworn in as the new Chief Minister.
The commission is tasked with investigating the causes and extent of the violence and riots targeting various communities, the sequence of events, and any failures or negligence by responsible authorities and individuals.