The Supreme Court on Friday directed the CBI to file a status report within two weeks on how far the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence trial had progressed.

The court issued the order after it was informed that the trial was not moving and that a woman who was gang-raped during the peak of the strife three years ago died this January.

The court ruled that all victims of the violence are entitled to copies of the CBI chargesheets and free legal aid through the State Legal Services Authority.

The court hinted that it may ask the Manipur chief justice to either set up a special bench to monitor the progress of the trial or coordinate with the Guwahati High Court chief justice to expedite the hearing of the cases. The trial of 27 cases had been transferred to Assam on the directions of the apex court, while the rest are being heard in Manipur.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the orders after senior advocate Vrinda Grover, representing some of the victims, told the court that she had accessed information to the effect that proceedings were not progressing and neither the CBI nor the accused persons were appearing before the trial courts.

Grover told the court that a gang-rape victim had died and nobody had bothered to inform her about the chargesheet being filed in her case.

Solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, told the bench he agreed with Grover that victims’ rights should not be affected and the trial must progress quickly. “Nobody can oppose what Ms Grover is saying. The victims’ rights cannot be affected,” the solicitor-general said.

Mehta, however, pleaded that normality had returned to Manipur and that there were elements from Myanmar who were trying to disturb peace. The CJI said “time is the essence” and the trial must be concluded swiftly.

“Yes, at that time it was needed (transfer of some cases to Assam). That was for strengthening the rule of law. It was needed. We can ask the chief justices of Manipur and Guwahati to coordinate and see how the victims’ statements need to be handled and how they can be recorded,” Chief Justice Kant said.

He invited suggestions on whether a special bench can be constituted at Manipur High Court or whether the chief justices of the Manipur and Guwahati high courts can be asked to monitor and coordinate the trial proceedings to expedite the process.

However, the top court turned down the plea of senior advocate Colin Gonzalves, representing a tribal forum, that copies of the 27 reports submitted to date by the Supreme Court-appointed three-member all-woman ex-judges committee be given to the petitioners.

The bench said that since the reports may have sensitive material, the court would first like to go through them before considering the plea. “Let us go through it and then we will see,” the CJI said.

“Let the CBI file a status report… Also, victims must be provided free legal aid in these situations. We will order that if legal aid counsels are not available on account of the earlier charged atmosphere... legal aid counsels from the Guwahati Bar can be got into,” CJI Kant said while posting the matter for further hearing to February 26.