Guwahati: The Supreme Court has asked a 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 assistance.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing petitions related to the rehabilitation of people who lost their homes, properties and livelihoods during the violence.
The bench took note of the steps taken by the government to rehabilitate affected families, including financial assistance provided to more than 4,000 beneficiaries from around 7,000 families identified for house reconstruction.
Under the rehabilitation scheme, the government provides Rs 5 lakh for rebuilding kutcha houses and Rs 7 lakh for semi-pucca and pucca houses.
The court also noted that more than 12,000 houses had been approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for families affected by the violence. Senior advocate Vibha Dutt Makhija, appearing for the Justice Gita Mittal Committee, placed details of the rehabilitation measures before the bench.
The court was further informed that temporary shelters had been constructed and Rs 51.95 crore released to 885 identified beneficiaries for construction of permanent houses. Families whose houses were completely destroyed had also received an additional Rs 1 lakh each.
However, lawyers representing some of the affected families claimed that nearly 24,000 families were still awaiting rehabilitation and welfare benefits. They said the claims could be verified through a ground-level assessment.
The bench noted that details of these families had already been submitted to the three-member committee and directed the panel to verify their particulars.
Chief Justice Surya Kant also asked the committee to submit a note on the implementation of the government welfare schemes identified in the Supreme Court’s May 27, 2026 order.
The court separately referred an application concerning properties belonging to families affected by the violence to the Justice Mittal-led committee. The panel has been asked to verify the details and current status of the properties and submit a report.
The bench also took note of claims involving 276 properties allegedly affected by the violence. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves informed the court about a separate list of 20 churches where encroachment was allegedly carried out.
The committee has been directed to examine the representations and verify the claims using relevant documents and land records. Authorities have also been asked to prevent further encroachment on properties found to be covered by the verified claims.
The committee will submit its findings to the Supreme Court after completing the verification.
The ethnic violence in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, following a Tribal Solidarity March in the hill districts over the 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.