Supreme Court Seeks Manipur Chief Secretary’s Report Over Unnatural Deaths in Relief Camps

The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over reports of unnatural deaths among internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in relief camps in Manipur and directed the State’s Chief Secretary to file a detailed affidavit explaining the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the steps taken by the authorities. The directions were issued on 17 September 2026 by a three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.

The matter arose during the Court’s continuing proceedings concerning the investigation, trial, relief and rehabilitation arising from the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence. The Court took note of information placed before it by the committee headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Justice Gita Mittal, which has been monitoring relief and rehabilitation measures in the State.

According to the material placed before the Court, 640 deaths had been reported in relief camps across eight districts. Of these, 34 were reported as unnatural deaths, while post-mortem examinations had reportedly been conducted in only 20 cases. Criminal cases had been registered in 25 of the reported unnatural-death cases. The Court sought an explanation from the State regarding the circumstances of these deaths and why post-mortems had not been conducted in all cases. The Court also took note of reports concerning 25 unnatural deaths, including one case reportedly involving sexual assault. It directed the Chief Secretary to provide details of the deaths along with post-mortem reports and other relevant material identifying the causes of death.

The Supreme Court further questioned the compensation reportedly paid to families of persons who died unnatural deaths in the camps. Reports before the Court indicated payments of around Rupees 20,000 to Rupees 30,000, prompting the Bench to seek an explanation, particularly in light of higher compensation reportedly available in similar cases. The Manipur Legal Services Authority was directed to immediately take up the issue and ensure that FIRs are registered in cases of unnatural deaths, the causes of death are properly ascertained, and investigations in cases already registered are conducted expeditiously. The Court also directed that adequate medical facilities and day-to-day necessities be provided to people residing in the relief camps and that their safety and dignity be protected.

The Court also reviewed the broader investigation into the 2023 violence. The State informed the Bench that 42 SITs were investigating 3,020 cases, with charge-sheets filed in 302 cases and 1,135 cases still under investigation. The Court also considered the progress of CBI investigations and the need to expedite trials in cases transferred to the Special Court at Guwahati.

The Supreme Court has therefore sought a comprehensive response from the Manipur Chief Secretary on the deaths, investigations, post-mortems, compensation and preventive measures being taken in the relief camps. The matter remains part of the Court’s continuing monitoring of the aftermath of the Manipur violence.