The Supreme Court on Friday (February 13, 2026) directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report detailing whether the agency has compiled sufficient evidence to “bring home the guilt” to persons accused of various heinous offences, including the sexual assault and gangrape of women during the sectarian violence that rocked Manipur in May 2023.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the CBI must share copies of the chargesheets of the cases with the victims or their families as dictated by the law.
The top court proposed entrusting the Chief Justices of Manipur and Gauhati High Courts to monitor the progress in the criminal trials closely. The Bench said the victims should be provided “quality legal aid” if required.
The court upped the ante on the trials linked to the Manipur violence after advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing in multiple applications related to young women sexually assaulted during the conflict, brought it up.
Ms. Grover highlighted the case of a young woman who died in January 2026 from illness believed to be linked to the trauma she underwent after being gang-raped during the early days of the ethnic violence.
