SC Grants Fresh Extension to Justice Gita Mittal Panel on Manipur Rehabilitation

The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal committee, appointed by the apex court to supervise relief and rehabilitation efforts for victims of ethnic violence in Manipur, until July 31, 2026.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi granted the extension after being informed that the committee’s mandate had formally lapsed in July last year. The court was told that the panel has submitted 42 reports so far, covering various aspects of rehabilitation and assistance for those affected by the violence.

Noting that no official extension had been issued since July 2025, Chief Justice Kant said the committee’s continuation would be regularised and its term formally extended until July 31, 2026.

The committee was constituted on August 7, 2023, following directions from the Supreme Court to oversee relief, rehabilitation and compensation for victims of the Manipur violence. At the same time, the court had appointed former Maharashtra Director General of Police Dattatray Padsalgikar to supervise investigations into criminal cases linked to the unrest.

The panel has been authorised to submit its findings directly to the Supreme Court, which continues to monitor matters related to the ethnic conflict.

Headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal, the three-member committee also includes Justice (retd) Shalini P. Joshi, formerly of the Bombay High Court, and Justice (retd) Asha Menon, who earlier served on the Delhi High Court.

The committee was set up days after the Supreme Court described as “deeply disturbing” a video showing women being paraded naked during the violence.

The ethnic clashes in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill districts against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Since then, more than 200 people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands displaced.

Meanwhile, tensions have continued to rise across Manipur. A Meitei man was recently shot dead in Churachandpur, with a video of the incident circulating widely; the case has since been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

 In a separate incident, suspected Naga rebel groups allegedly set fire to houses and a farmhouse in a village in Kangpokpi district, accusing residents of poppy cultivation. Following the arson, Kuki bodies issued an ultimatum to the Manipur government, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.