DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI versus MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI & ORS
[2023] 12 S.C.R. 1083, Supreme Court of India, 2023
Outcome: Directions issued
Segment: Issues
[2023] 12 S.C.R. 1083 : 2023 INSC 698
1083
CASE DETAILS
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI
v.
MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI & ORS
(Special Leave Petition (Civil) Diary No 19206 of 2023)
AUGUST 07, 2023
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI, 
J. B. PARDIWALA AND MANOJ MISRA, JJ.]
HEADNOTES
Issue for Consideration: The sectarian violence and strife in Manipur 
– Violence against women.
Directions – Sectarian violence and riots in Manipur – Two broad 
objects which the directions must subserve:
Held: Firstly, there is a need to ensure that the violence ceases, the 
perpetrators of violence are punished according to the procedure established 
by law, and that consequently, the faith and conﬁ dence of the community in 
the justice system is restored – Secondly, there is a pressing need to ensure 
that the rule of law is restored and public conﬁ dence in the investigative 
and prosecutorial process is sustained. [Para 19]
Directions – Sectarian violence and riots in Manipur – Violence 
against women – Formation of Committee and mandate of Committee:
Held: A Committee consisting of three former female Judges of the 
High Court constituted – Mandate of the Committee to – (i) Enquire into 
the nature of violence against women that occurred in the State of Manipur 
from 04.05.2023 from all available sources; (ii) Submit a report to the Court 
on the steps required to meet the needs of the survivors including measures 
for dealing with rape trauma; (iii) Ensure that free and comprehensive 
medical aid and
psychological care to victims of survivors is provided; (iv) 
Ensure conditions of dignity in relief camps set up for displaced persons 
including suggestions for additional camps; (v) Ensuring the payment of 
compensation and restitution to victims of violence; (vi) Issuing directions 
for the appointment of nodal oﬃ  cers at relief camps and the provision of
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[2023] 12 S.C.R.
toll-free helplines to provide updates on any investigation, missing persons, 
and the recovery of dead bodies. [Para 20]
Directions – Sectarian violence and riots in Manipur – The 
three-Judge Committee appointed to also enquire into and take steps 
necessary for the disbursement of compensation:
Held: (a) Directions issued to the Manipur State Legal Services 
Authority to ensure award and payment of compensation to all victims 
under Section 357A CrPC, NALSA’s Compensation Scheme for Women 
Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes 2018, and the Manipur 
Victim Compensation Scheme 2019; (b) Where the victim is deceased, 
the next of kin should be identiﬁ ed for the payment of compensation; (c) 
A report of compliance to be ﬁ led with full particulars of the case, victim/
witness, compensation awarded, date of payment and the persons to whom 
the payment was made; (d) The Member-Secretary NALSA shall monitor 
together with the three-Judge Committee on measures taken for witness 
protection, compensation and the rehabilitation and treatment of victims; (e) 
Issuing directions to the State of Manipur to settle compensation for damages 
caused to the movable and immovable properties of persons aﬀ ected by 
violence; and (f) The updated status report to be ﬁ led before the Court on 
a fortnightly basis. [Para 21]
Directions – The State of Manipur and the Union Government 
indicated that there are eleven FIRs involving cases of
sexual violence 
against women and children – FIRs involving oﬀ ences of a similar nature 
referred to the CBI – In order to ensure the fairness of the investigation, 
the directions are issued:
Held: (a) A Former Director General of Police, Maharashtra appointed 
to supervise the investigation by the CBI into the FIRs transferred to it 
and the investigation by the investigative machinery of the State into the 
remaining FIRs; (b) For the purpose of ensuring proper investigation of the 
FIRs which are transferred to the CBI, the Union Ministry of Home Aﬀ airs 
shall place at the disposal of the CBI ﬁ ve oﬃ  cers drawn from the States of 
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and NCT of Delhi at least 
of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police – At least one of these ﬁ ve 
oﬃ  cers shall be a woman – The former Director General of Police appointed
1085
to also investigate the allegations that certain police oﬃ  cers colluded with 
perpetrators of violence (including sexual violence) during the conﬂ ict in 
Manipur. [Para 25]
Directions – Sectarian violence and riots in Manipur – The State of 
Manipur indicated that in order to ensure that the investigation into the 
FIRs is conducted in a time bound manner, the SITs shall be constituted:
Held: (a) In cases where the FIR relates to a sexual oﬀ ence (rape, 
outraging the modesty of a woman, etc.) in addition to any other crime 
(murder, grievous hurt, etc.), the SIT which consists of women oﬃ  cers 
(Inspectors / Sub-Inspectors / PCs as described by the State of Manipur) 
shall be in charge of the entire investigation; (b) The SIT will visit each relief 
camp within the area assigned to it and make it known that it is an impartial 
body which is accepting complaints of violence (including sexual violence) 
– This is necessary because many survivors / victims may not approach the 
police machinery of their own accord, especially in the aftermath of sectarian 
violence; (c) Where sexual oﬀ ences are being investigated, the SITs shall 
follow all prescriptions in law intended to prevent the re-traumatization 
of women, including the second proviso to Section 161(3) CrPC; (d) The 
SITs constituted by the State of Manipur shall not consist exclusively of 
members belonging to either one of the communities involved in the clashes 
in Manipur; (e) Should the oﬃ  cer appointed
by this court require any further 
assistance of supervising oﬃ  cers at the DIG level or otherwise, a requisition 
in that regard shall be submitted to the Union Ministry of Home aﬀ airs for 
necessary action; (f) In the course of monitoring the investigation, former 
Director General of Police, Maharashtra will ensure that, depending on 
the facts of each case, the FIRs are registered by invoking relevant penal 
provisions. [Para 27]
Directions – Sectarian violence and riots in Manipur – The 
oﬃ  cer nominated by the Court shall, in the course of monitoring the 
investigation, issue all appropriate directions including:
Held: (a) Providing qualiﬁ ed legal assistance during the course of 
investigation; (b) Making investigations time-bound; (c) Timely recording 
of statements under Section 161 and Section 164 CrPC including with proper 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI 
MEETEI & ORS
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support persons/facilitators under the High Court of Manipur guidelines for 
recording of evidence of vulnerable witnesses, if required, through video 
conferencing or automatic transcription; (d) Provision for legal aid counsel 
to the victims during the course of the investigation; and (e) Maintenance of 
secrecy of the materials collected during the investigation and maintenance 
of the anonymity of the victims /survivors of sexual violence in the status 
reports submitted to this Court. [Para 28]
Directions – Sectarian violence and riots in Manipur – The Union 
of India and the State of Manipur directed:
Held: (a) Ensure that all the areas which are vulnerable to sectarian 
violence and riots are identiﬁ ed and monitored so that preventive measures 
are eﬀ ectively put into place; (b) Disseminate information regarding and 
widely publicize the constitution of the SITs and the constitution of the 
three-Judge Committee by this Court in all villages, towns, and districts of 
Manipur as well as in every relief camp that has been set up, in a language 
that is comprehensible to all residents of Manipur; (c) Take stock of the 
number of arms missing or looted from the armouries of the state and of 
these, the number of arms which have been recovered – Formulate and 
implement a plan to recover any missing arms. [Para 29]
LIST OF CITATIONS AND OTHER REFERENCES
Zomi Students Federation v. Union of India WP (C) No 572 of 2023; 
Nipun
Saxena v. Union of India (2019) 2 SCC 703:[2018] 14 SCR 755; XYZ 
v. State of Madhya Pradesh 2022 INSC 799 – referred to.
United Nations, General Assembly, Resolution 60/147, ‘Basic 
Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for 
Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious 
Violations of International Humanitarian Law.’ – referred to.
OTHER CASE DETAILS INCLUDING IMPUGNED 
ORDER AND APPEARANCES
EXTRAORDINARY APPELLATE/ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: 
Special Leave Petition (Civil) Diary No.19206 of 2023.
From the Judgment and Order dated 27.03.2023 of the High Court of 
Manipur at Imphal in WP(C) No.229 of 2023]
1087
With
Special Leave Petition (Civil) Diary No.19210 of 2023, Writ Petition 
(Civil) Nos.540, 576, 572, 574 of 2023, Writ Petition (Criminal) Nos.321, 
327, 329 of 2023 and Writ Petition (Civil) No.802 of 2023
Appearances:
R. Venkataramani, Attorney General, Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General, 
Hijam Lenin Singh, A.A.G., Colin Gonsalves, Ms. Hetvi Patel, Jaideep 
Gupta, Sapam Biswajit Meitei, Ranjit Kumar, Anand Grover, Ms. Indira 
Jaising, Sanjay R Hegde, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Sr. Advs., Nizam Pasha, 
Lzafeer Ahmad B. F., Ms. Cheryl D Souza, Ms. Suroor Mander, Sidharth 
Kaushik, Shivendra Pandey, Ms. Aayushi Mishra, Ms. Hetvi Patel, Ms. 
Alana Golmei, Samuel Khobung, Nayab Gauhar, Kamei Kaoliangpou, Ms. 
Joicy, Satya Mitra, Ms. Vrinda Grover, Ms. Devika Tulsiani, Ms. Mannat 
Tipnis, Soutik Banerjee, Ms. Akriti Chaubey, Kunwar Aditya Singh, 
Ahanthem Henry, Ahanthem Rohen Singh, David Ahongsangbam, Vivek 
Kumar, Mohan Singh, Ms. Rajkumari Banju, Ms. Tomthi Koijamnnganbi, 
Niraj Bobby Paonam, Preetam Shah, Vishal Prasad, Javedur Rahman, Ms. 
Astha Sharma, Ms. Anju Thomas, Paras Nath, Robin Bhatt, Ms. Ripul 
Swati Kumari, Ms. Muskan Surana, Kanu Agrawal, Shuvodeep Roy, 
Pratyush Shrivastava, Dr. N. Visakamurthy, Pukhrambam Ramesh Kumar, 
Karun Sharma, Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, Paras Nath Singh, Ibad Mushtaq, 
Ms. Akanksha Rai, Rohin Bhatt, Ms. Shobha Gupta, Aditya Ranjan, Ms. 
Bijoylashmi Das, Ms. Ankita Gupta, Ms. Garvita Jain, Ms. Tarjana Rai, Ms. 
Jessy Kurian, Kumar Mihir,
Ms. Bansuri Swaraj, Siddhesh Shirish Kotwal, 
Ms. Ana Upadhyay, Ms. Manya Hasija, Ms. Mahamaya Chatterjee, Tejasvi 
Gupta, Pawan Upadhyay, Ms. Meenakshi Chauhan, Elangbam Premjit 
Singh, Neeraj Kumar Gupta, Anindita Mitra, Satyajit Sarna, Ms. Remya, 
K. Raghabvacharyulu, Ranjeet Singh, Advs. for the appearing parties.
JUDGMENT / ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT
JUDGMENT
DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI
1. The State of Manipur has been besieged by sectarian strife since 
the ﬁ rst week of May 2023.
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI
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2. On 27 March 2023, the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court 
of Manipur issued directions in a writ petition under Article 226 of the 
Constitution1 to the Government of Manipur directing it to respond to a 
communication dated 29 May 2013 of the Ministry of Tribal Aﬀ airs in the 
Union Government by recommending the inclusion of the Meitei community 
in the Presidential List of Scheduled Tribes. The recommendation for 
including the community in the list of Scheduled Tribes was directed to be 
considered expeditiously within a stipulated time frame. The jurisdiction of 
this Court under Article 136 of the Constitution was invoked to challenge 
the order of the High Court principally on the ground that while exercising 
jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution the High Court cannot 
issue directions for the inclusion of a community in the list of Scheduled 
Tribes. The pleadings in the Special Leave Petition highlight that ‘Manipur 
is burning after the impugned order.’ 
3. On 8 May 2023, the Union Government apprised this Court that 
the State of Manipur ‘is taking appropriate steps for recall of the order of 
the Single Judge of the High Court dated 27 March 2023 by moving the 
competent forum in that regard.’ The Union Government placed a statement 
on record indicating that the following steps were taken to ensure normalcy:
“(a)  52 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and 105 
columns of the Army/Assam Riﬂ
es have been deployed in 
Manipur; 
(b)  Flag marches have been conducted in disturbed areas; 
(c)  A senior level former police oﬃ  cer has been appointed as 
Security Adviser by the State Government and another senior 
oﬃ  cer has been repatriated yesterday from Central Deputation 
to serve as Chief Secretary to the Government of Manipur;
(d)  Peace meetings have been conducted and vigilance is being 
maintained;
(e)  Helicopters and drones are being used to monitor the situation 
in addition to the extensive deployment of security forces; 
1 
WP(C) No 229 of 2023
1089
(f)  Relief camps have been opened for displaced persons where 
rations and medical help are being provided; and 
(g)  Movement of persons who are stranded is being facilitated 
through security forces.”
A statement was made before this Court “that as a consequence of 
the measures which have been adopted, no violence had been recorded in 
the State during the course of the previous two days and the situation is 
gradually returning to normalcy.” Counsel for the contesting parties had 
voiced concerns over the need to preserve law and order and to provide 
relief and rehabilitation. This Court emphasised the need to maintain vigil 
and ensure that there is no recurrence of violence, bearing in mind the loss 
of human life and destruction of homes and places of worship that had taken 
place. This Court observed:
“7. While expressing the concern of the court over the loss of 
human life and destruction of homesteads and places of worships, 
we emphasise the need for :
(i)  Ensuring that due arrangements are made in the relief camps 
by providing all basic amenities in terms of food and medical 
care;
(ii)  Taking all necessary precautions for the rehabilitation of 
displaced persons; and
(iii)  Protecting places of religious worship.”
This Court directed that where critical medical care is required for 
persons who are in relief camps, the authorities shall make arrangements 
for medical care at Army Hospitals or other medical establishments. An 
updated status report was
called from the State of Manipur in regard to the 
steps taken to provide relief and rehabilitative measures.
4. When the proceedings were next taken up on 17 May 2023, a status 
report was ﬁ led by the State of Manipur indicating:
a. 
The steps taken to bring normalcy to the law and order situation 
in the State;
b. 
Details of relief camps which have been opened;
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
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[2023] 12 S.C.R.
c. 
Compensation packages made available on account of death or, 
as the case may be, injury;
d. 
Security measures taken for protecting religious places;
e. 
Transportation of persons who were stranded due to the ongoing 
crisis; and
f. 
Registration of FIRs and the recovery of arms.”
5. Besides the challenge to the direction issued by the Acting Chief 
Justice of the High Court, a batch of writ petitions under Article 32 of 
the Constitution was moved before this Court. In one of those petitions,2
apprehensions were expressed by the petitioners about threats to safety. 
The petitioners sought directions for enhancing security in sensitive areas 
speciﬁ cally with reference to certain vulnerable villages. This Court directed 
that these apprehensions must be taken into account by the authorities 
entrusted to monitor law and order in the State. The Chief Secretary and 
the Security Adviser were directed to immediately attend to the grievances 
after due veriﬁ cation and take such measures as are required to foster 
conﬁ dence and to ensure peace and tranquillity. The apprehensions which 
were expressed by the petitioners in other petitions were also directed to 
be taken into account by the law enforcement authorities. The proceedings 
were listed before this Court on 20 June, 3 July and 10 July 2023. Noting 
that the Chief Secretary had ﬁ led a status report, this Court permitted the 
contesting parties to make concrete
suggestions to the State of Manipur 
and the Union of India for improving the situation. On 11 July 2023, the 
following submissions were formulated by the Petitioners in Zomi Students 
Federation v. Union of India:3
“1.  Several bodies are reported to be lying unidentiﬁ ed and 
unclaimed in several mortuaries in hospitals across Imphal 
including The Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences 
Morgue, Imphal. Families of persons who are missing and 
feared dead are unable to reach these mortuaries. The State 
may designate an oﬃ  cer who can be contacted and who 
2 
WP(C) No 540 of 2023
3 
WP (C) No 572 of 2023
1091
will facilitate visits by such families to mortuaries under 
escort/protection and enable the process of identiﬁ cation and 
handover of dead bodies for last rites.
2.  
There is an acute shortage of doctors in the district hospitals 
in the hill districts. The doctors deputed by the health ministry 
(see para 22.4 of the status report – Annexure ‘A’) and those 
promised by the Hon’ble Home Minister (see PIB Notiﬁ cation 
dt. 01.06.2023 – Annexure ‘B’) may be sent to the district 
hospitals in the hill districts to address this shortage.
3.  
There is shortage of essential medicines, Dialysis Machines, 
CT Scan Machines in the district hospitals in the hill districts 
which must be addressed.
4.  
Arrangement has been made for students of Churachandpur 
Medical College to attend classes in Jawaharlal Nehru Institute 
of Medical Sciences, Imphal (JNIMS) (see notification 
attached - Annexure ‘C’). Similar arrangement may be made 
for medical students of JNIMS, Regional Institute of Medical 
Sciences, Imphal (RIMS) and other medical colleges in Imphal 
to attend classes in other institutions of similar standing outside 
the state (for example see proposal sent by RIMS, Imphal to 
the Union of India - Annexure ‘D’).
5.  
Manipur University has decided to conduct examinations in all 
its aﬃ  liated colleges (see para 14 of the Status Report). These 
examinations need to be deferred since schools and colleges in 
the hill districts have been converted into relief camps and a
large number of students and university staﬀ  have been forced 
to ﬂ ee their homes.
6.  
Helicopter Services have been provided between 
Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal and Imphal 
(see para 22.3 of the Status Report). Such services are in fact 
required between Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal 
and Aizawl, Guwahati and Dimapur as tribals from the hill 
districts are still afraid to come to Imphal even to use the 
airport.
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
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[2023] 12 S.C.R.
7.  
Jio and Vodafone Cellular Services have not been functioning 
in the State for the last several weeks and need to be restored.
8.  
The State Government has issued a circular on 26 th June 
2023 (see Annexure ‘E’) asking all government employees 
to immediately report to work and threatening disciplinary 
action against employees who fail to do so. This circular may 
be withdrawn as a large number of persons have either ﬂ ed 
the State or are living in relief camps.
9.  
There are 105 relief camps in Churachandpur, 56 in Kangpokpi, 
10 in Chandel and 15 in Tengnoupal being run by community 
self-help groups. There is acute shortage of drinking water, 
food, sanitation, shelter and bedding at these for the displaced 
persons staying at these relief camps. The Petitioner be allowed 
to submit a list of items urgently required at these camps and 
the Respondents State/Central Government be directed to 
supply these items at the earliest.
10.  Direction be issued by this Hon’ble Court that appropriate 
restraint be exercised by persons holding oﬃ  cial positions 
from making inciting or provocative remarks directed at any 
particular community that may exacerbate the conﬂ ict as per 
the directions issued by this Hon’ble Court in the case of 
Kaushal Kishor v. State of U.P., (2023) 4 SCC 1.
11.  The Hon’ble Home Minister, after discussions with 
representatives of all communities had indicated that an 
inter-agency uniﬁ ed
command would be set up under the 
chairmanship of the security adviser Shri Kuldeep Singh (see 
PIB Notiﬁ cation dt. 01.06.2023 – Annexure B). However, 
as per the updated status report, the meetings of the uniﬁ ed 
command center are being chaired by the Chief Minister (see 
paragraph 6 of the Status Report – Annexure A) which is 
contrary to the stated position of the Central Government. This 
needs to be corrected to generate conﬁ dence in the neutrality 
of measures being undertaken.
1093
12.  A status report be called for on the number of arms looted from 
the police armories, the number of such arms recovered and 
the measures being undertaken for recovery of the remaining 
arms.
13.  To make the task of this Hon’ble Court easier, a committee 
having representatives of both the aﬀ ected communities and 
chaired by a retired judge of this Hon’ble Court be appointed 
to oversee rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures and to 
address grievances concerning the same. This will ensure 
neutrality and build conﬁ dence in the impartiality of the relief 
and rehabilitation measures. At present the teams comprising 
ministers and MLAs appointed by the Government to 
oversee relief and rehabilitation measures comprise of 35 
MLAs (from a legislative assembly comprising 60 MLAs) 
across seven teams in-charge of seven (7) districts pointedly 
do not include even a single MLA from the ZoKuki tribes 
which damages public conﬁ dence in the neutrality of the 
measures being undertaken (see circular dated 5th July, 
2023 – Annexure ‘F’).”
6. While issuing directions for implementing most of the above 
suggestions (save and except those at Serials 5, 6, 7 and 13 above), this Court 
directed positive action by 14 July 2023. As regards suggestion at Serial 
number 13, the court noted that a notiﬁ cation was issued on 5 July 2023 
by the Government of Manipur constituting Committees in seven districts 
for overseeing the supervision and management of relief camps set up
for 
housing persons who have been displaced by the situation in Manipur. On 
the aspect of providing compensation to the victims of the sectarian strife, 
this Court observed:
“4  
In the suggestions which have been made before this Court 
in Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi vs The State of Manipur and Another, 
at this stage, we are of the view that following suggestion would merit 
consideration by the State administration, namely: 
“Direct the State to immediately begin and complete within 
3 months (a) the interim payment of 10 lakhs for every tribal 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
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[2023] 12 S.C.R.
killed as assured by the Home Minister, (See list of 118 killed 
tribals (Add Aﬀ . 8.7.23), (b) the reconstruction by the State of 
the 141 tribal villages destroyed (pg.41 I.A. 115711), and the 
227 churches destroyed (pg.26) and further to provide security 
so that the tribals can return.” 
5  
The State administration shall take a considered view 
for disbursal of compensation to the aﬀ ected families and for 
reconstruction of villages and places of religious worship which 
have suﬀ ered destruction in the recent incidents of violence in the 
State.”
7. On the arrangements for preserving security, the Chief Secretary 
of the State of Manipur ﬁ led an aﬃ  davit indicating the steps taken. This 
Court directed the Union Government and the State of Manipur to make 
suﬃ  cient arrangements to ensure the protection of lives and properties of 
all the citizens and residents of the State of Manipur. 
8. On 20 July 2023, the proceedings were taken on board by this Court 
in response to visuals which had appeared in the media on the previous 
day depicting the perpetration of sexual assault and violence on women in 
Manipur. While noting that it was ‘deeply disturbed by the visuals,’ this Court 
noted that what was portrayed in the media indicated gross constitutional 
violations and infractions of human rights. This Court observed that “using 
women as instruments for perpetrating violence is simply unacceptable in a 
constitutional
democracy.” The Court called for reports indicating the steps 
taken by the Government (i) to hold the perpetrators accountable; and (ii) 
ensure that such incidents are not repeated. Both the Union Government 
and the State Government were directed to take immediate steps – remedial, 
rehabilitative and preventive - and to apprise this Court of the action which 
was taken by the next date. 
9. On 1 August 2023, this Court was apprised by the State of Manipur 
that 6,523 FIRs had been registered as on 25 July 2023. According to 
its status report, 150 deaths had taken place between 3 May 2023 and 9 
June 2023 and 502 persons were reported to have been injured. The State 
reported that there were 5,101 cases of arson; 252 persons were arrested
1095
in connection with the FIRs and 12,740 preventive arrests were made. The 
State informed the Court that 11 FIRs involved cases of violence against 
women and children, though this was subject to further veriﬁ cation. Seven 
arrests were reportedly made in connection with these 11 FIRs. 
10. At that point, the Court was apprised by one of the counsel that 
there was one more FIR of the same genre. The Union Government apprised 
this Court through the Solicitor General that while two FIRs which had been 
registered in the context of the horriﬁ c visuals that depicted sexual violence 
against women, the State of Manipur was willing to refer all the 11 FIRs 
to the CBI. Noting that the material which was disclosed before the Court 
was inadequate, this Court observed that there was no disaggregation of the 
6,523 FIRs on the basis of the oﬀ ences to which they pertained. The State 
was directed to carry out this exercise and inform the Court how many of 
the FIRs pertain to cases involving: (i) murder and/or rape and outraging 
of modesty; (ii) arson and looting; (iii) destruction of house property and 
places of religious worship; and (v) grievous hurt. This Court expressed its 
dissatisfaction with the tardy pace of investigation. The Court highlighted 
that there was an unexplained delay between the occurrence of the crimes in 
early May 2023 and the registration of the FIRs and the recording of witness 
statements and making arrests have been few and far between. This
Court, 
accordingly, called for a tabulated statement indicating:
a. 
The date of each occurrence;
b. 
The date of the registration of the zero FIR, if any;
c. 
The date of the registration of the regular FIR;
d. 
The dates on which witness statements have been recorded;
e. 
The dates on which statements under Section 164 of the Code 
of Criminal Procedure 1973,4 if any, have been recorded;
f. 
The dates on which the victims were medically examined;
g. 
The dates on which arrests, if any, have been eﬀ ected; and
h. 
Whether the accused have been named in the complaint/FIR.
4 
 “CrPC”
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[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
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[2023] 12 S.C.R.
11. The status report which has been ﬁ led by the State of Manipur 
contains a disaggregation of 6,523 FIRs registered between 3 May and 30 
July 2023. It is reproduced below:
“DISAGGREGATION OF 6523 FIRs
(03 May to 30 July 2023)
1. 
Murder and /or rape and outraging of modesty: 
Sl No Crime
Section of Law (IPC)
No of cases
(i)
Murder 
302/304 – Murder 
72
(ii)
Rape 
376/376D – Rape/Gang rape 
3
(iii)
Murder and 
Rape 
302/304 – Murder and 376 - 
Rape
1
(iv)
Outraging 
of modesty
354 – Assault or criminal force 
to woman with intent to outrage 
her modesty 
6
Kindly note: There is an overlap of oﬀ ences in the FIRs
2. 
Arson, Looting, Destruction of house property:
Sl No Crime
Section of Law (IPC)
No of cases
(i)
Arson
436/435 -Mischief by fire or 
explosive substance (arson) 
4454
(ii)
Looting 
380 – Theft in dwelling house 
392/397/395/400/390 - Robbery, 
Dacoity 
4148 
There is 
overlap of 
oﬀ ences
(iii)
Destruction 
of house 
property
427 – Mischief causing damage 
4694 
There is 
overlap of 
oﬀ ences
(iv)
Damage 
to public 
property
3 PDPP ACT – Mischief causing 
to damage to public property 
584 
There is 
overlap of 
oﬀ ences
1097
Kindly note: There is an overlap of oﬀ ences in the FIRs
3. 
Destruction of places of worship: 
Sl No
Crime
Section of Law (IPC)
No of cases
(i)
Destruction 
of places 
of religious 
worship
295/295A - Injury or defiling 
place of worship 
46
4. 
Grievous hurt: 
Sl No
Crime
Section of Law (IPC)
No of cases
(i)
Grievous hurt.
325/326 - Grievous hurt 
100”
12. The status report contains details of FIRs, month wise occurrence 
of crimes, registration of cases, and the reporting of deaths and injuries. The 
status report provides the following data:
“1
Total number of FIR registered originally as regular 
FIRs in the PS of original jurisdiction 
4766
2
Total number of FIRs registered originally as ZERO 
FIRs 
11414
3
Total number of such ZERO FIRs transferred to PS of 
respective jurisdiction 
10382
4
Total number of ZERO FIRs converted to regular FIRs 
by PS of respective jurisdictions
6621”
13. The status report indicates the following situation in regard to 
the examination of witnesses, arrests, and medical examination of victims:
“EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES, ARRESTS ETC
(1) Murder rape, Outrage of modesty
No of witness statements recorded 
: 
193
No of 164 statements recorded 
: 
3
No of arrests made 
: 
16
No of medical examination 
: 
13
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1098
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
(2) Arson, looting, damage to property
No of witness statements recorded 
: 
1366
No of 164 statements recorded 
: 
3
No of arrests made 
: 
14
No of medical examination 
: 
6
(3) Destruction of religious place of worship
No of witness statements recorded 
: 
10
No of 164 statements recorded 
: 
nil
No of arrests made 
: 
nil
No of medical examination 
: 
nil
(4) Grievous Hurt
No of witness statements recorded 
: 
56
No of 164 statements recorded 
: 
nil
No of arrests made 
: 
12
No of medical examination 
: 
7”
14. During the course of the submissions which have been addressed 
before this Court, certain fundamental aspects warranting the immediate 
attention of this Court have crystallized. Counsel for the petitioners 
speciﬁ cally highlighted the following issues:
a. 
The need for the appointment of a court-mandated Committee 
for hearing and healing and for restoring the conﬁ dence of 
survivors and the families of victims of violence, particularly 
sexual violence against women;
b. 
Constituting a court-appointed Special Investigating Team5
comprising ﬁ ve police oﬃ  cers drawn from outside the State of 
Manipur with a speciﬁ c mandate to ensure:
5 
SIT
1099
i. 
registration of FIRs;
ii. 
recording of statements of victims under Section 164 CrPC; 
and 
iii. 
medical examination of the victims under Section 164A 
CrPC;
c. 
Protection of victims and witnesses;
d. 
Provision of legal aid;
e. 
Enforcing the right to a speedy trial;
f. 
Provision of free and comprehensive medical aid to survivors or 
victims;
g. 
Transformative and reparative justice for the victims of ethnic 
violence, including by:
i. 
Ensuring conditions of dignity in the relief camps;
ii. 
Providing compensation and restitution to the victims of 
violence; and
iii. 
Taking preventive measures;
h. 
Facilitating the right to information by appointing nodal oﬃ  cers at 
relief camps and other places to bridge the informational vacuum;
i. 
Providing dignity in the disposal of dead bodies; and
j. 
Appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to enquire into 
dereliction of duty by public servants.
15. The circumstances which justify the intervention of this Court in 
the exercise of its jurisdiction under Article 32 of the Constitution, clearly 
emerge from the sequence narrated earlier in this judgment. The sectarian 
violence and strife in Manipur has received extensive coverage in the media. 
The aﬃ  davit which has been ﬁ led by the Union Home Secretary in these 
proceedings states that:
“4. … large-scale violence broke out in the State of Manipur on 
03.05.2023 after a Tribal Solidarity March undertaken by All Tribal 
Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) in opposition
to the demand for 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1100
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
inclusion of the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes. The 
call for this march led to a counter response by Meiteis. Thereafter 
large-scale violence broke out in the State of Manipur, and as a result 
of the violence, many residents of Manipur lost their lives and several 
other got seriously injured, their houses and properties were burnt 
down as a result of arson and many of them were rendered homeless. 
Moreover, incidents of violence and heinous crimes against women 
have come to light.”
The Union Home Secretary has also noted that on 26 July 2023, the 
Government of Manipur recommended the entrustment of two FIRs to the 
CBI for investigation which was then recommended by the Union Ministry 
of Home Aﬀ airs on 27 July 2023. The Union Government has also informed 
the Court of its position that not only should the investigation be completed 
at the earliest but the trial should also be conducted in a time bound manner 
outside the State of Manipur. 
The tardy pace of investigation by the investigating machinery in the 
State of Manipur has emerged from the material which was placed before 
this Court which is indicative of:
a. 
Signiﬁ cant delays between the occurrence of incidents involving 
heinous crimes including murder, rape and arson and the 
recording of zero FIRs;
b. 
Signiﬁ cant delays in forwarding the zero FIRs to the police 
stations which have jurisdiction over the incidents;
c. 
Delays in
converting the zero FIRs into regular FIRs by the 
jurisdictional police stations;
d. 
Delays in recording witness statements;
e. 
Lack of diligence in recording the statements under Section 161 
and Section 164 CrPC;
f. 
The tardy pace of eﬀ ecting arrests in cases involving heinous 
oﬀ ences; and
g. 
The lack of alacrity in ensuring medical examination of victims.
1101
16. These lapses in the investigative process do not bode well for the 
State of Manipur. The importance of a speedy and fair justice system should 
need no reiteration but the magnitude of the oﬀ ences that we are dealing 
with prompts this Court to reiterate their importance:
a. 
When a bodily or sexual oﬀ ence is complained of, it is necessary 
to conduct a medical examination of the victim immediately 
after the FIR is registered, without any delay (subject to the 
victim consenting to such examination). This is because one of 
the crucial pieces of evidence which has great probative value 
in a trial is the nature and severity of the injuries sustained 
by the victim. The existence of that injury has to be proved 
to the satisfaction of the court. A medical examination by a 
registered medical practitioner appropriately authorised in this 
regard is necessary to prove that an injury was sustained. As 
time passes, some injuries heal and it is diﬃ  cult (and in some 
cases, not possible) for a registered medical practitioner to 
accurately assess the severity of the injury. It is also diﬃ  cult 
for the registered medical practitioner to develop an opinion on 
the nature of the weapon or the type of trauma which caused 
the injury. These aspects attain importance during the trial 
when a weapon recovered from the accused may be found 
to be connected to the injury sustained by the victim. If the 
prosecution fails to prove that the injury sustained by the victim /
survivor was a result of the weapon recovered from the accused, 
a person who is guilty of an oﬀ ence may be unjustly acquitted. 
Conversely, if the injury sustained by the victim / survivor is 
incorrectly found to be linked to the weapon recovered from the 
accused, an innocent person may be wrongfully convicted. Time 
is especially of the essence when a sexual oﬀ ence is complained 
of. A medical examination may result in the recovery of the 
DNA of the accused from the clothing or body of the victim / 
survivor. It may also result in the identiﬁ cation and recording 
of the nature and severity injuries sustained by the victim / 
survivor. This is one of the reasons that Section 164-A CrPC 
requires the medical examination of rape victims to take place 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1102
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
within twenty-four hours from the time that information about 
the commission of the oﬀ ence is received (subject to the victim 
/ survivor consenting to such examination). Undoubtedly, the 
absence of such evidence ought not to lead to an acquittal as 
a matter of course. However, there is no reason to deprive the 
prosecution of evidence which has signiﬁ cant probative value 
or to deviate from the investigative procedures prescribed by 
law;
b. 
The statements under Sections 161 and 164 CrPC must be 
recorded as soon as possible. Such statements often lead to the 
recovery of evidence or the identiﬁ cation of accused persons or 
witnesses. The statement under Section 161 CrPC may attain 
relevance during the trial, where the defence may rely on it 
to contradict a witness in terms of Section 145 of the Indian 
Evidence Act 1872;
c. 
The statements under Sections 161 and 164 CrPC coupled with 
the medical examination of the victim may lead to the recovery 
of evidence and the discovery of relevant facts, which will enable 
the prosecution to correctly identify the accused person(s) and 
arrest them. This, in turn, will enable the trial to commence as 
soon as possible and for justice to be done. Justice delayed is 
indeed justice denied; 
d. 
It is crucial for the police to identify and arrest the accused person 
expeditiously because the accused person may be required for the 
completion of investigation. Further, the accused
may attempt to 
tamper with or destroy the evidence, intimidate witnesses, and 
ﬂ ee from the place of the crime. Whether or not a person who is 
arrested in a particular case is likely to do this is a matter left to be 
determined by the court seized of the matter (during proceedings 
for bail, if any) but a signiﬁ cant delay in the identiﬁ cation and 
arrest of the accused for no reason at all cannot be countenanced 
by this Court; 
e. 
The importance of identifying, arresting, prosecuting, and 
convicting the person who is actually responsible for the
1103
commission of an oﬀ ence cannot be overstated. If the police 
arrests a person who is not actually responsible for the oﬀ ence 
complained of, it results in injustice which is two-fold: the actual 
perpetrator is not brought to justice and an innocent person is 
unjustly prosecuted; and
f. 
A speedy investigation is necessary to secure a just and proper 
outcome in a trial and to instil and maintain conﬁ dence in the 
administration of criminal justice in our country. A speedy 
investigation also serves a preventive function in that the 
persons who witness the swiftness and accuracy with which 
the criminal justice system punishes the perpetrator, will be 
deterred from committing similar crimes. Last but not least, an 
expeditious investigation and trial ensures that the trauma of 
victims / survivors is not prolonged because of the length of the 
proceedings. 
17. This Court must express its anguish of the manner in which 
women have been subjected to grave acts of sexual violence in the course 
of the sectarian strife in Manipur. Subjecting women to sexual crimes and 
violence is completely unacceptable and constitutes a grave violation 
of the constitutional values of dignity, personal liberty and autonomy 
all of which are protected as core fundamental rights under Part III of 
the Constitution. Mobs commonly resort to violence against women for 
multiple reasons, including the fact that they may escape punishment for 
their crimes if they are a member of a larger
group. In time of sectarian 
violence, mobs use sexual violence to send a message of subordination 
to the community that the victims or survivors hail from. Such visceral 
violence against women during conﬂ ict is nothing but an atrocity. It is the 
bounden duty of the state – its foremost duty, even – to prevent people 
from committing such reprehensible violence and to protect those whom 
the violence targets. 
18. The sectarian strife has also led to large scale destruction of 
residential property and places of religious worship. In this backdrop, this 
Court is duty bound to step in while performing its plain constitutional 
obligation. This Court is also of the opinion that its intervention will be a 
step towards the guarantee of non-repetition that victims of such crimes 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1104
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
are entitled to.6 The remedies which have been granted are those which the 
Court feels will be even handed across all communities and do justice to 
all those who have been injured (in any manner) by the sectarian violence. 
The victims of violence must receive remedial measures irrespective of their 
community. Likewise, the perpetrators of violence must be held accountable 
irrespective of the source of violence. There are serious allegations including 
witness statements indicating that the law-enforcing machinery has been 
inept in controlling the violence and, in certain situations, colluded with 
the perpetrators. Absent a proper investigation, this Court will not enter a 
ﬁ nding of fact on these allegations. But, at the very least, such allegations 
require an objective fact-ﬁ nding to be conducted. Those who are responsible 
for a breach of public duty must equally be brought to account, regardless 
of their rank, position, or post. Every oﬃ  cer of the state or other employee 
of the state who is guilty not only of the dereliction of their constitutional 
and oﬃ  cial duties but of colluding with perpetrators to become oﬀ enders 
themselves, must be held accountable without fail. This is the promise of 
justice that the Constitution demands from this Court and from all branches 
of the state. 
19. In this backdrop, there are two broad objects which the directions of 
this Court must subserve. Firstly, there is a need to
ensure that the violence 
ceases, the perpetrators of violence are punished according to the procedure 
established by law, and that consequently, the faith and conﬁ dence of the 
community in the justice system is restored. Secondly, there is a pressing 
need to ensure that the rule of law is restored and public conﬁ dence in the 
investigative and prosecutorial process is sustained.
20 In order to subserve the two objectives which have been highlighted 
above, we issue the following directions:
a. 
A Committee consisting of the following three members is 
constituted:
i. 
Justice Gita Mittal, former Chief Justice of the High Court 
of Jammu and Kashmir;
6 
United Nations, General Assembly, Resolution 60/147, ‘Basic Principles and 
Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of 
International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian 
Law.’
1105
ii. 
Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, former Judge of the High 
Court of Judicature at Bombay; and
iii. 
Justice Asha Menon, former Judge of the High Court of 
Delhi.
b. 
The mandate of the Committee shall be to:
i. 
Enquire into the nature of violence against women that 
occurred in the State of Manipur from 4 May 2023 from 
all available sources including personal meetings with 
survivors, members of the families of survivors, local/
community representatives, authorities in charge of relief 
camps and the FIRs lodged as well as media reports; and
ii. 
Submit a report to this Court on the steps required to 
meet the needs of the survivors including measures for 
dealing with rape trauma, providing social, economic, and 
psychological support, relief and rehabilitation in a time 
bound manner;
iii. 
Ensure that free and comprehensive medical aid and 
psychological care to victims of survivors is provided;
iv. 
Ensure conditions of dignity in relief camps set up for 
displaced persons including suggestions for additional 
camps. This would include, illustratively, ensuring that the 
following requirements are met:
A. 
Clean rations which are adequate in quantity;
B. 
Adequate supplies of essential products such as soap, 
water, toothpaste, other toiletries, and clothes;
C. 
Taking care of the needs of infants and lactating 
mothers;
D. 
Meeting the requirement of basic medical care;
E. 
Control on the outbreak of communicable diseases;
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM
CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1106
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
F. 
Providing information on the accessibility of legal, 
psycho-social, medical and livelihood services;
G. 
Access to free pregnancy tests, free emergency 
contraceptives, free sanitary pads and free maternal 
health services including access to gynaecologists;
H. 
Emergency and specialised medical care for people 
suﬀ ering with critical illness including haemophilia, 
cancer, and HIV/AIDS;
I. 
Proper sanitation facilities at the relief camps 
including clean toilets and bathrooms which are 
adequate in number having due regard to the number 
of people housed in a particular relief camp and proper 
disposal of sewage and other waste; 
J. 
Suicide prevention services and regular visits by 
psychologists / psychiatrists to treat the impact of 
violence and trauma; 
K. 
Regular visits by psychologists, psychiatrists, and 
counsellors who are specifically trained to treat 
children and adolescents; 
L. 
Ensuring that women, children and persons suﬀ ering 
from physical and mental disabilities have equal 
access to resources to meet their basic needs; and 
M. 
Ensuring that information regarding the availability 
of the facilities listed above is disseminated and 
awareness is created amongst the residents of the 
relief camps. 
v. 
Ensuring the payment of compensation and restitution to 
victims of violence; and
vi. 
Issuing directions for the appointment of nodal oﬃ  cers 
at relief camps and the provision of toll-free helplines
to 
provide updates on any investigation, missing persons, and 
the recovery of dead bodies. The nodal oﬃ  cers must also
1107
ensure that they maintain a database of all persons who 
are housed in their respective relief camps. They must use 
this database to coordinate with one another and ensure 
that minors and other persons who have been separated 
from their families are reunited with their families at the 
earliest. 
21. The three-Judge Committee appointed by this Court would, as part 
of its remit, enquire into and take steps necessary for the disbursement of 
compensation including the following:
a. 
Issuing directions to the Manipur State Legal Services Authority 
to ensure award and payment of compensation to all victims 
under Section 357A CrPC, NALSA’s Compensation Scheme for 
Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes 2018, 
and the Manipur Victim Compensation Scheme 2019;
b. 
Where the victim is deceased, the next of kin should be identiﬁ ed 
for the payment of compensation;
c. 
A report of compliance be ﬁ led before this Court within six weeks 
with full particulars of the case, victim/witness, compensation 
awarded, date of payment and the persons to whom the payment 
was made;
d. 
The Member-Secretary NALSA shall monitor together with the 
three-Judge Committee on measures taken for witness protection, 
compensation and the rehabilitation and treatment of victims; 
and
e. 
Issuing directions to the State of Manipur to settle compensation 
for damages caused to the movable and immovable properties 
of persons aﬀ ected by violence; and
f. 
The updated status report
shall be ﬁ led before this Court on a 
fortnightly basis.
22. The State of Manipur and the Union Government have indicated 
that there are eleven FIRs involving cases of sexual violence against women 
and children. Details of the statement tendered by the Director General 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1108
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
of Police, Manipur, who was present in Court, under its directions, are 
reproduced below:
“Sl. 
No.
FIR No. & Section
Police station
District
1
FIR No. 94(5)2023 PRT-PS u/s 147/ 148/ 
149/302 IPC.
Porompat PS
Imphal 
East 
2
FIR No. 541(6)2023 PRT-PS u/s 
326/354/366/375/302/34 IPC 
Corresponding to FIR No. ZERO (65)
(5)2023 SKL PS u/s 326/ 354/ 366/ 375/ 
302/ 34 IPC
Porompat PS
Imphal 
East
3
FIR No. 110 (06) 2023 NSK PS u/s 153A/
398/427/436/448/302/354/364/326/34 IPC 
Corresponding to FIR No. ZERO (91)
(5)23 SKL PS u/s 153A/398/427/436/4
48/302/354/364/326/376/34 IPC & 25 
(1-C) A. Act.
Nongpok 
Sekmai PS 
Thoubal 
4
FIR No. 815(7)2023 PRT-PS u/s 
354/307/364/376/376D/506/34 IPC & 
Sec 3 SC/ST (PoA) Act 1989 
Corresponding to ZERO FIR No. 0(930)
(7)2023 KPI-PS u/s 354/307/364/376 
/376D/506/34 IPC & Sec 3 SC/ST (PoA) 
Act 1989
Porompat PS
Imphal 
East
5
FIR No. 93(5)2023 PRT-PS U/S 147/ 148/ 
149/ 326/354 IPC
Corresponding to ZERO FIR No. 
00(5)2023 WPS-CCP u/s 143/148/307 
/326/ 354/397/34 IPC, 25(1-B) Arms Act 
& 3(2)(iii) of SC/ST (POA) Act 
Porompat PS
Imphal 
East
6
FIR No. 79(5)2023 LPS u/s 148/ 149/ 
302 IPC
Corresponding to FIR No. 00(5)2023 
CCP-PS u/s 143/ 148/ 427/ 436/ 354/ 34 
IPC registered and then transferred to 
Lamphel -PS on18/07/2023.
Lamphel PS 
Imphal 
West
1109
7
FIR No. 245(5)2023 SJM-PS u/s 
147/149/354/427 IPC & 3(i)(ix) SC & 
ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 
Singjamei PS
Imphal 
West
8
FIR No. 81(5)2023 SJM-PS u/s 354/34 
IPC & 27 Arms Act.
Singjamei PS
Imphal 
West
9
FIR No. 499(7)2023 SJM-PS u/s 143/ 148/ 
506/124-A/ 307/ 354/ 436/ 397/ 34 IPC & 
Sec 3(2) (iii) of SC & ST (Prevention of 
Atrocities Act).
(Transferred from WPS-CCP)
Singjamei PS
Imphal 
West
10
i) FIR No. 584(7)2023 IPS U/s 366/ 368/ 
34 IPC &
ii) FIR No. 1009(7)2023 LPS U/S 365/34 
1PC.
Imphal PS
Imphal 
West
11
FIR No. 117(6)2023 YPI/PS U/S 147/148
/149/325/354/307/427/400/34 IPC.
Yaingangpokpi 
PS 
Imphal 
East”
23. Apart from the above eleven FIRs, the petitioners have adverted 
to the following six FIRs:
“S.No.
Date
FIR No
1.
17.05.2023
Zero FIR 79(5) 2023 SKL-PS
2.
14.06.2023
FIR No. 0(680)(6) KPI-PS
3.
08.06.2023
FIR No. 00(06) 2023 SKT – PS
4.
17.05.2023
FIR No. 146(5) 2023 LPS and FIR No. 147(5) 
2023 LPS. These two FIRs are separate FIRs ﬁ led 
by two victims but relate to the same incident.
5.
21.07.2023
FIR No. 00(07) 2023 CCP-PS
6.
09.07.2023
FIR No. 00(07) 2023 CCP - PS”
The above statement which has been tendered on behalf of the 
petitioners in the petition ﬁ led by the Zomi Students Federation shall 
be duly scrutinized. In the event that these FIRs involve oﬀ ences of a 
similar nature to those which have been referred to the CBI, similar 
action in that regard shall be taken within two weeks. This Court shall 
be apprised of the
action taken in this regard by way of a status report 
ﬁ led within three weeks. 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1110
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
25. In order to ensure the fairness of the investigation, the following 
directions are issued:
a. 
The process of investigation shall be monitored by this Court. 
For this purpose, this Court appoints Shri Dattatray Padsalgikar, 
former Director General of Police, Maharashtra to supervise the 
investigation by the CBI into the FIRs transferred to it and the 
investigation by the investigative machinery of the State into the 
remaining FIRs;
b. 
For the purpose of ensuring proper investigation of the FIRs 
which are transferred to the CBI, the Union Ministry of Home 
Aﬀ airs shall place at the disposal of the CBI ﬁ ve oﬃ  cers drawn 
from the States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha 
and NCT of Delhi at least of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of 
Police. At least one of these ﬁ ve oﬃ  cers shall be a woman. For this 
purpose, the Directors General of Police of the above States shall 
nominate an oﬃ  cer at least of the rank of Deputy Superintendent 
of Police for deputation to the CBI. On deputation, the oﬃ  cers 
shall perform their functions under the overall structure of the 
CBI and submit periodical information and reports as may be 
required by Shri Dattatray Padsalgikar, the oﬃ  cer appointed by 
this Court for supervising the investigation. They shall abide by 
the directions as may be issued in that regard by him from time 
to time; and 
c. 
Shri Dattatray Padsalgikar is also requested to investigate the
allegations that certain police oﬃ  cers colluded with perpetrators 
of violence (including sexual violence) during the conﬂ ict in 
Manipur. The Union Government and the State Government 
shall provide any assistance required in order to carry out this 
investigation. The ﬁ ndings shall be submitted to this Court in 
the form of a report.
26. The State of Manipur has, in its submission before the Court, 
indicated that in order to ensure that the investigation into the FIRs is 
conducted in a time bound manner, the following SITs shall be constituted:
1111
“For FIRs related to murder and/or any other heinous crime, the SITs 
are proposed to be headed by an oﬃ  cer not below the rank of SP and 
such SITs will also include the following :- 
i. 
02 (two) Inspectors
ii. 
06 (six) Sub-Inspectors
iii. 
12 (twelve) Constables.
For FIRs related to rape, outraging of modesty and such other sexual 
oﬀ ences, the SITs are proposed to be headed by an oﬃ  cer not below 
the rank of SP and such SITs will also include the following :- 
i. 
At least 01 (one) female Inspector
ii. 
At least 02 (two) female Sub-Inspectors
iii. 
At least 04 (four) Women PCs.
For other FIRs, SITs headed by an oﬃ  cer not below the rank of Dy SP 
will be constituted. The composition of these SITs will be as follows:
i. 
02 (two) Inspectors
ii. 
06 (six) Sub-Inspectors
iii. 
12 (twelve) Constables.
For the districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Imphal West, Imphal 
East, Bishnupur and Kakching, there will be 06 (six) SITs in each 
district with the above composition. 
For Thoubal and Tengnoupal districts, there will be 03 (three) SITs 
each with the above composition. 
These SITs will be supervised weekly by an oﬃ  cer of the rank of 
DIG/ IG/ ADG. 
In addition, the DGP will also monitor these cases fortnightly.
In total, 42 (forty-two) nos. of SIT teams of Manipur Police are being 
proposed to tackle these cases in a focused and timely manner.”
27. In order to ensure proper monitoring and supervision of the 
investigation by the police authorities, the Union
Ministry of Home Aﬀ airs 
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1112
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
shall make available, on deputation, one oﬃ  cer of the rank of Police 
Inspector drawn from the States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, 
Jharkhand, Maharashtra and NCT of Delhi. The Ministry of Home Aﬀ airs 
shall also nominate, on deputation, at least fourteen oﬃ  cers not below the 
rank of Superintendent of Police to be in charge of the respective SITs. 
The investigation by the SITs constituted for the State of Manipur shall 
also be monitored and supervised by Shri Dattatray Padsalgikar, the oﬃ  cer 
appointed by this Court for the purpose. The following directions are issued 
in this regard:
a. 
In cases where the FIR relates to a sexual oﬀ ence (rape, outraging 
the modesty of a woman, etc.) in addition to any other crime 
(murder, grievous hurt, etc.), the SIT which consists of women 
oﬃ  cers (Inspectors / Sub-Inspectors / PCs as described by the 
State of Manipur in the extract above) shall be in charge of the 
entire investigation; 
b. 
The SIT will visit each relief camp within the area assigned 
to it and make it known that it is an impartial body which is 
accepting complaints of violence (including sexual violence). 
This is necessary because many survivors / victims may not 
approach the police machinery of their own accord, especially 
in the aftermath of sectarian violence which may have resulted 
in the loss of family members and homes, displacement, and 
trauma to their own bodies and minds;
c. 
Where
sexual oﬀ ences are being investigated, the SITs shall 
follow all prescriptions in law intended to prevent the re-
traumatization of women, including the second proviso to Section 
161(3) CrPC. The SITs shall comply with the directions issued 
by this Court with regard to the investigation of sexual oﬀ ences 
including the directions issued in Nipun Saxena v. Union of 
India7 and XYZ v. State of Madhya Pradesh.8
7 
(2019) 2 SCC 703
8 
2022 INSC 799
1113
d. 
The SITs constituted by the State of Manipur shall not 
consist exclusively of members belonging to either one of the 
communities involved in the clashes in Manipur;
e. 
Should the oﬃ  cer appointed by this court require any further 
assistance of supervising oﬃ  cers at the DIG level or otherwise, a 
requisition in that regard shall be submitted to the Union Ministry 
of Home aﬀ airs for necessary action; 
f. 
In the course of monitoring the investigation, Shri Dattatray 
Padsalgikar will ensure that, depending on the facts of each case, 
the FIRs are registered by invoking relevant penal provisions. 
Illustratively, some of the provisions are set out below:
Indian Penal Code 1860
S.No.
Section
Description
1.
117
Abetting commission of oﬀ ence by the public 
or by more than ten persons.
2.
121
Waging or attempting to wage war or abetting 
waging of war against the Government of India
3.
121A
Conspiracy to commit oﬀ ences punishable by 
section 121
4.
122
Collecting arms, etc, with intention of waging 
war against the Government of India.
5.
124A
Sedition
6.
145
Joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, 
knowing it has been commanded to disperse.
7.
147
Punishment for rioting
8.
149
Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of 
oﬀ ence committed in prosecution of common 
object.
9.
151
Knowingly joining or continuing in assembly 
of five or more persons after it has been 
commanded to disperse.
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y
CHANDRACHUD, CJI]

1114
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
10.
153A
Promoting enmity between diﬀ erent groups 
on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, 
residence, language, etc, and doing acts 
prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
11.
186
Obstructing 
public servant in discharge 
of public functions.
12.
302
Punishment for murder.
13.
324
Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons 
or means.
14.
326
Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous 
weapons or means.
15.
332
Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant 
from his duty.
16.
353
Assault or criminal force to deter public servant 
from discharge of his duty.
17.
354
Assault or criminal force to woman with intent 
to outrage her modesty.
18.
354A
Sexual harassment and punishment for sexual 
harassment.
19.
354B
Assault or use of criminal force to woman with 
intent to disrobe.
20.
376
Punishment for rape.
376(2)(g)
Punishment for rape committed during 
communal or sectarian violence.
376-A
Punishment for causing death or resulting in 
persistent vegetative state of victim.
376-C
Sexual intercourse by a person in authority.
376-D
Gang rape.
21.
392
Punishment for robbery.
22.
395
Punishment for dacoity.
23.
436
Mischief by ﬁ re or explosive substance with 
intent to destroy house, etc.
24.
447
Punishment for criminal trespass.
1115
25.
456
Punishment for lurking house-trespass or 
house-breaking by night.
26.
457
Lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by 
night in order to commit oﬀ ence punishable 
with imprisonment.
27.
458
Lurking house-trespass or house-breaking 
by night after preparation of hurt, assault, or 
wrongful restraint.
28.
505
Statements conducing to public mischief.
29.
120B
Punishment of criminal conspiracy.
Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984
S.No.
Section
Description
1.
Mischief causing damage to public property.
2.
Mischief causing damage to public property 
by ﬁ re or explosive substance.
Arms Act 1959
S.No.
Section
Description
1.
25
Punishment for certain oﬀ ences.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967
S.No.
Section
Description
1.
15
Terrorist act
2.
16
Punishment for terrorist act.
3.
18
Punishment for conspiracy, etc.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) 
Act 1989
S.No.
Section
Description
1.
3
Punishment for oﬀ ences of atrocities.
28. The officer nominated by this Court shall, in the course of 
monitoring the investigation, issue all appropriate directions including:
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]
1116
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[2023] 12 S.C.R.
a. 
Providing qualified legal assistance during the course of 
investigation;
b. 
Making investigations time-bound;
c. 
Timely recording of statements under Section 161 and Section 
164 CrPC including with proper support persons/facilitators 
under the High Court of Manipur guidelines for recording of 
evidence of vulnerable witnesses, if required, through video 
conferencing or automatic transcription;
d. 
Provision for legal aid counsel to the victims during the course 
of the investigation; and
e. 
Maintenance of secrecy of the materials collected during the 
investigation and maintenance of the anonymity of the victims 
/ survivors of sexual violence in the status reports submitted to 
this Court.
29. The Union of India and the State of Manipur shall: 
a. 
Ensure that all the areas which are vulnerable to sectarian violence 
and riots are identiﬁ ed and monitored so that preventive measures 
are eﬀ ectively put into place;
b. 
Disseminate information regarding and widely publicize the 
constitution of the SITs and the constitution of the three-Judge 
Committee by this Court in all villages, towns, and districts of 
Manipur as well as in every relief camp that has been set up, in 
a language that is comprehensible to all residents of Manipur. 
This information must be made available even to those who are 
not in possession of a radio, newspaper subscription, smartphone, 
or television; and
c. 
Take stock of the number of arms
missing or looted from the 
armouries of the state and of these, the number of arms which 
have been recovered. Formulate and implement a plan to recover 
any missing arms.

1117
30. Shri Dattatray Padsalgikar and the three-Judge Committee 
appointed by this Court shall submit reports to this Court within a period 
of two months, elaborating on the progress which has been made. This 
Court shall issue further directions at that stage for the shifting of the trials 
outside the State of Manipur, as may be required and for consequential 
directions.
31. List the proceedings on 13 October 2023.
Headnotes prepared by:  
Directions issued.
Ankit Gyan
DINGANGLUNG GANGMEI v. MUTUM CHURAMANI MEETEI  
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, CJI]