SC asks panel to verify claims of 24,000 Manipur violence-hit families yet to receive relief

The Supreme Court directed its court-appointed committee headed by former High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal to verify claims that around 24,000 families affected by the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence are yet to receive rehabilitation and welfare benefits.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing matters concerning the rehabilitation of people who lost their homes, dwellings and sources of livelihood during the violence.

The court took note of steps taken by the government for rehabilitation, including the disbursement of funds to more than 4,000 beneficiaries out of around 7,000 identified families for reconstruction of houses.

Under the rehabilitation scheme, the government provides Rs 5 lakh for a kutcha house and Rs 7 lakh for a semi-pucca or pucca house, the bench noted.

More than 12,000 houses have also been approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for families affected by the violence, the court said, taking note of submissions by senior advocate Vibha Dutt Makhija, appearing for the Justice Gita Mittal Committee.

The bench further noted that temporary shelters had been constructed and Rs 51.95 crore released for 885 identified beneficiaries for permanent houses. An additional Rs 1 lakh per household had been provided to families whose houses were completely damaged.

However, lawyers representing some affected families claimed that around 24,000 families were still awaiting benefits, a claim they said could be verified on the ground.

The bench noted that details of these families had already been submitted to the three-member committee.

“If that is so, we request the committee to verify and confirm the particulars of the alleged affected families,” Chief Justice Surya Kant said, directing the panel to submit a note on the implementation of the government welfare schemes identified by the court in its May 27, 2026 order.

Claims over properties, places of worship

The Supreme Court also referred an application concerning properties belonging to violence-affected families to the Justice Mittal-led committee.

The committee has been asked to verify the particulars and current status of the properties and submit a report to the court.

On alleged damage to places of worship, the bench took note of a list of 276 properties whose claims require verification.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves also informed the court about a separate list of 20 churches where encroachment was allegedly carried out.

The Justice Gita Mittal-led committee will examine the representations and verify the claims on the basis of relevant documents and land records, the court directed.

The authorities have also been directed to ensure that there is no further encroachment on properties found to be covered by the claims.

The committee will submit its findings to the Supreme Court.

The ethnic violence in Manipur broke out on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March in the hill districts against a demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the majority Meitei community. More than 200 people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands displaced since the violence began.