Supreme Court agrees to give ‘precedence’ hearing to plea against Delhi SIR

In a shocking revelation, the Supreme Court expressed dismay over the numerous fatalities occurring in relief camps intended for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Manipur. On September 17, 2026, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana directed the Manipur Chief Secretary to provide an affidavit detailing the steps taken to investigate, initiate criminal proceedings, and ensure the safety of individuals residing in these relief camps.

The Court questioned why no substantial measures were undertaken following the Justice Gita Mittal committee's report, which highlighted both regular and unnatural deaths among IDPs in relief camps. The Bench specifically inquired about the conduct of postmortems in 20 out of 34 death cases, and why only ₹20,000-30,000 in compensation was granted to victims who died unnatural deaths while sheltered in relief camps.

Additionally, the Court directed the Manipur State Legal Services Authority to submit a separate status report on the matter. They also ordered the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) in all unnatural death cases and ensured their expeditious investigation, safeguarding the safety and dignity of IDPs. The Court's order followed a review of the Justice Mittal committee's and an IAS officer's reports, which revealed more than 30 deaths in Manipur's relief camps, including one possibly resulting from sexual assault.

The Bench expressed optimism that the two special trial courts established to handle CBI and National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases from the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur would conclude their trials swiftly. The Court emphasized that the details provided by the State government and Dattatray Padsalgikar, a former IPS officer overseeing the CBI probe, were detailed and accessible to the legal services counsel, enabling victims to pursue their claims.