NEW DELHI, Aug. 11: The Supreme Court has directed its committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal to verify claims that nearly 24,000 families affected by the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur have not received benefits under government rehabilitation and welfare programmes.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing matters concerning the rehabilitation of people who lost homes, properties and livelihoods during the violence.
The court took note of the measures undertaken by the government for rebuilding houses and supporting affected families. It was informed that more than 4,000 beneficiaries out of nearly 7,000 identified families had received funds for reconstruction.
Under the rehabilitation scheme, eligible families are entitled to Rs 5 lakh for rebuilding kutcha houses and Rs 7 lakh for semi-pucca or pucca structures.
The bench 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 conflict.
Senior advocate Vibha Dutt Makhija, representing the Justice Gita Mittal Committee, apprised the court of the steps taken towards implementing the rehabilitation measures.
Temporary shelters have also been established, while Rs 51.95 crore has been released for 885 identified beneficiaries for construction of permanent houses. Families whose homes were completely destroyed have additionally received Rs 1 lakh per household.
However, lawyers representing some of the affected families submitted that approximately 24,000 families were still awaiting assistance, based on information gathered at the ground level.
The Supreme Court asked the committee to examine the particulars submitted regarding these families and verify whether they qualify for the government schemes. The panel has been directed to submit a report outlining the status of implementation of welfare measures already considered by the court.
The bench also referred an application concerning properties belonging to people affected by the violence to the Justice Mittal-led panel. The committee will examine the ownership and present condition of the properties and submit its findings to the court.
The issue of damage to religious places was also considered. A list of 276 affected properties was placed before the bench, with the court observing that the claims required verification.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves further submitted that a separate list identifying 20 churches where alleged encroachments had occurred was available for consideration.
The court directed the committee to examine the representations and verify the claims using relevant documents, including land records.
Authorities have also been directed to prevent any further encroachment on properties found to fall within the claims being examined by the committee.
Separately, the bench asked the governments of Manipur and Assam, along with other concerned authorities, to consider establishing two special trial courts. The proposed courts would exclusively deal with cases arising from the violence that are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The Supreme Court’s directions come as efforts continue to address the humanitarian and property-related consequences of the conflict that began in May 2023.
The violence erupted on May 3, 2023, after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in Manipur’s hill districts against the demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the majority Meitei community.
More than 200 people have lost their lives, hundreds have been injured and thousands have been displaced since the violence began.