The apex court has regularised and extended the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal-led panel overseeing relief, rehabilitation and compensation for victims of ethnic violence in Manipur, noting its continued work and extensive reporting
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on January 28 extended the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal-led committee supervising relief and rehabilitation measures for victims of ethnic violence in Manipur until July 31, 2026. The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
During the hearing, the court was informed that although the committee’s earlier tenure had formally ended in July 2025, it had continued functioning without a formal extension. Regularising this continuation, the bench granted the panel additional time to complete its mandate. Chief Justice Kant noted that the committee has already submitted 42 reports covering multiple aspects of humanitarian relief and victim rehabilitation.
The committee was constituted by the Supreme Court on August 7, 2023, in the wake of the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur earlier that year. Headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal, the three-member panel also includes Justice (retd) Shalini Phansalkar Joshi of the Bombay High Court and Justice (retd) Asha Menon of the Delhi High Court. The panel reports directly to the apex court.
Entrusted with monitoring conditions in relief camps, addressing concerns related to women and children, and supervising compensation and restitution, the committee has played a central role in the court’s ongoing oversight of the situation. Former Maharashtra Director General of Police Dattatray Padsalgikar was also appointed to monitor investigations into criminal cases linked to the unrest.
The violence, which began on May 3, 2023, has resulted in over 200 deaths, widespread displacement and extensive damage, prompting sustained judicial intervention to uphold the rule of law.
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