SC directs setting up 2 special courts for Manipur violence

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the authorities to examine the possibility of establishing two dedicated trial courts to hear cases linked to the 2023 Manipur violence.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana suggested that one court could exclusively handle cases investigated by the CBI, while the other could deal with matters probed by the NIA, The New Indian Express reported.

The bench sought clarity on whether the courts dealing with the Manipur violence cases were functioning exclusively for CBI and NIA matters or were also hearing other cases. It also directed the state authorities and central security agencies to ensure that the investigative agencies could conduct their probes without any disruption.

The court stressed that adequate law-and-order arrangements should be made to facilitate uninterrupted investigations by the CBI and NIA.

Cases related to the 2023 violence have so far been dealt with by the Supreme Court, a Gauhati High Court bench and various local courts in Manipur.

The bench also took note of the Centre’s submission that the CBI had submitted final reports in 27 of the 31 cases assigned to it, while the NIA had filed chargesheets in 15 of the 30 cases under its investigation.

The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the violence after a video showing two women being paraded naked during the unrest triggered widespread outrage.