The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the respondents in the bail plea filed by one of the alleged perpetrators in a case arising out of the Manipur ethnic violence. The court granted two weeks for filing counter-affidavits and listed the matter for further hearing on March 24, 2026.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for the victim’s family informed the bench that the court had earlier taken cognisance of the incident and related proceedings were already pending.

The court recorded the appearance of counsel for the victim’s family after a vakalatnama was filed and directed that replies be filed by the CBI as well as the respondent within two weeks.

Counsel for the victims also informed the court that two co-accused had been granted bail by the Guwahati High Court and the CBI had already filed special leave petitions (SLPs) challenging those orders. The counsel requested that those petitions be listed along with the present matter once defects were cured.

In response, the bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the petitions would be listed once procedural defects were removed.

“If they cure the defects, the matter will have to be listed,” the court observed, asking counsel to ensure that the objections are cleared for listing of the SLPs.