The Supreme Court on Monday (10 August) asked authorities to examine the possibility of creating separate courts exclusively for cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the 2023 Manipur violence.
The direction came from a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, while the Court reviewed the progress of investigations and criminal proceedings arising from the violence.
During the hearing, the Bench focused on whether the existing Special Judges dealing with CBI and NIA matters were also hearing unrelated cases.
The Court considered whether the Manipur-related cases could instead be placed before dedicated courts so that proceedings involving the violence could be dealt with separately.
The Bench asked the authorities to consider two exclusive courts, with one handling CBI cases and the other dealing with NIA cases. The Registrar General of the Gauhati High Court was directed to submit a report on the feasibility of such an arrangement before the next hearing.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the Court about the present status of the investigations.
The CBI has investigated 31 cases connected with the violence and filed final reports in 27 of them. These included 22 chargesheets and five closure reports. Four cases continue to remain under investigation.
The Court was further informed that cognisance, meaning the court has formally taken notice of the alleged offences for proceeding with the case, has been taken in 20 of the 22 chargesheeted matters. Cognisance in two cases is still pending.
The CBI cases have been transferred to Gauhati for trial.
The NIA has been handling 30 cases arising from the violence. According to the information placed before the Bench, chargesheets have been filed in 15 cases, while investigation remains pending in the other 15.
Charges have already been framed in seven of the chargesheeted matters, allowing those cases to move forward towards trial.
The Court was also informed that the NIA cases are presently spread across different courts, including courts in Delhi, Gauhati and Manipur.
The Bench also dealt with concerns regarding access to case information.
The Court directed that relevant particulars, including case numbers and the status of proceedings, be compiled and made available so that lawyers and families concerned can obtain information about the cases.
CJI Surya Kant said,
“The request is that particulars of those cases, including the relevant case numbers and status of the proceedings, be made available” to legal counsel and affected families.
Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover had raised concerns about the availability of case details and chargesheets.
The Bench also considered the security situation in Manipur and stressed that it should not disrupt ongoing investigations.
The Court directed the State authorities and security agencies to provide the necessary support to the CBI and NIA so that their investigations could continue without interruption.
“With respect to the law-and-order situation, the CBI and NIA shall be facilitated so that they are able to carry out their investigation uninterruptedly,” the Bench directed.
The Supreme Court directed the authorities to consider establishing two exclusive courts for Manipur violence cases investigated by the CBI and NIA.
It further directed the Registrar General of the Gauhati High Court to place a status report on the proposal before the Court at the next hearing.
