The Supreme Court on Monday took note of concerns over living conditions in relief camps set up for people displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur. The Court asked a three-member committee headed by former Chief Justice Gita Mittal to examine the alleged shortcomings and submit a detailed report within two months.
Background of the Case
The matter arose from a petition filed by Anthony Naulak, who had approached the Manipur High Court highlighting poor facilities in 14 relief camps in Churachandpur district. The High Court, however, declined to entertain the plea, observing that the Supreme Court was already seized of similar issues and had constituted a committee to look into them.
Aggrieved by this, the petitioner moved the Supreme Court, arguing that despite repeated representations, the conditions in the camps continued to be alarming. He submitted that basic amenities such as food, medical care and sanitation were inadequate, and that the committee was operating from Delhi, making ground-level assessment difficult.
Court Observations
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter. The Court noted that the petitioner had earlier submitted a detailed representation to the district authorities and the State, pointing out serious deficiencies in the relief camps.
The Bench recorded that the High Court had rightly refrained from examining the matter since the Supreme Court had already constituted a three-member committee to deal with the broader issues arising out of the Manipur crisis.
“The High Court has declined to go into the merits as this Court is already seized of the matter and a three-member committee has been constituted to examine the issues raised,” the Bench observed.
Submissions by the Parties
Appearing for the petitioner, counsel argued that the plea before the High Court was limited and only sought verification of whether the conditions in the relief camps met the standards laid down earlier.
On the other hand, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the State of Manipur, informed the Court that the petitioner’s representations had already been forwarded to the committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal. She added that the committee had been visiting various locations in Manipur and was actively examining the issues.
Read also:- No Reopening of 2015 Recruitment: Supreme Court Upholds Gujarat PSC Selection
Court’s Decision
Taking note of the submissions, the Supreme Court disposed of the petition with a clear direction to the committee.
“We request the three-member committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal to examine the issue of deficiencies in the relief camps and submit a report in that regard, as early as possible and preferably within two months,” the Bench ordered.
With this, all pending applications in the matter were also disposed of.
Case Title: Anthony Naulak vs District Commissioner, Churachandpur
Case No.: SLP (C) No. 1458/2026
Decision Date: 19 January 2026
