Supreme Court seeks report from Manipur Chief Secretary on 25 unnatural deaths in relief camps

File image of Churachandpur Relief Camp | Photo credit: Vijaya Singh

The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 17, 2026) directed the Chief Secretary of Manipur to submit a detailed report on 25 unnatural deaths, including alleged sexual assault, reported among IDPs in relief camps across the state.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has found that the Manipur government has not provided satisfactory answers on the death of Justice Gita Mittal to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee to monitor relief and rehabilitation provided to victims of ethnic violence in 2023.

“This is very, very shocking. One of them involves sexual assault. The information sought by the committee was very serious,” Chief Justice Kant told Advocate General and Additional Advocate General Aishwarya Bhati, who is also representing the Manipur government.

“Include postmortem details”

The court ordered that the Chief Secretary’s report on the action taken in connection with these deaths must be comprehensive and include postmortem details. The bench said the report must also include measures taken to ensure the safety and dignity of the IDPs, who must be given easy access to day care facilities and medical care.

“Tell your chief secretary not to raise any issue,” the chief justice told the state government’s lawyers.

The public prosecutor said the delay could be due to the appointment of a new chief secretary a few days ago. The Solicitor General said she would immediately communicate the concerns to the court. “We will convey the sensitivity and importance of the matter,” Ms. Bhati assured the court.

Autopsies in only 20 out of 640 deaths

The order also referred to a report highlighting that 640 deaths had occurred in relief camps in eight districts. Post-mortem examinations were allegedly carried out in only 20 cases, after which criminal cases were registered.

The court sought an explanation as to why post-mortems were conducted in only 20 cases and why only ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 was given as compensation in those cases.

The court also directed the State Legal Services Authority to intervene in registering FIRs in all cases of unnatural deaths.

Status of the investigation and prosecution

The bench noted the status report filed by former Maharashtra DGP Dattatray Padsalgikar, who was tasked by the Supreme Court to monitor the criminal investigation and prosecution of violence cases in Manipur, and noted that 42 Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been formed in eight districts to probe 3,020 cases. Charges were filed in 302 cases, final reports in 1,583 cases and 1,135 cases remained under investigation. Trials were initiated in 33 cases.

The report also said that the Central Bureau of Investigation investigated 31 cases, with 28 indictments filed and six final reports. Three cases remained under investigation. The status report said there were 978 witnesses, six of whom were interviewed, while 38 people were arrested in the cases. The court also asked Ms. Bhati to convey her proposal to set up two CBI courts to split the caseload.

Published – 17 Sep 2026 14:46 IST