HT DIGITAL
IMPHAL, JULY 29: The Manipur High Court granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) a last one-month extension to submit its chargesheet in the Jiribam killings case, a high-profile case, with a warning that further delay will be taken seriously. The case, involving the kidnapping and killing of six persons, including three minors, in November 2024, has been pending for more than eight months, causing widespread public anxiety and unrest.
The ruling was made in a hearing of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) No. 18 of 2024, which was heard together with Miscellaneous Case (PIL) No. 28 of 2025. Petitioners like Soram Tikendrajit had approached the court with their supervision to bring accountability and thrust to the investigation, which was handed over to the NIA a few months ago.
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A bench of two judges headed by Chief Justice Kempaiah Somashekar and Justice Ahantham Bimol Singh termed the killings as “grave and shocking.” In response, the NIA filed two sealed cover reports regarding the progress of the investigation. The court has ordered that they should be kept safely in custody of the Registrar General till further orders.
Senior Advocate Kh Tarunkumar, appearing before the court on behalf of the petitioners, pointed out the timeline of the crime. He pointed out that on November 11, 2024, six individuals, including three children, were said to have been abducted in suspicious circumstances. Their bodies were subsequently recovered one by one from the Barak River. Pointing out the trauma to the families and the sensitive nature of the situation in the Jiribam area, Tarunkumar was worried at the NIA’s slow pace of filing a chargesheet.
In reply, India’s Deputy Solicitor General Kh. Samarjit updated the court that the probe was in its final stages. He assured the bench that the chargesheet was being drafted under the Criminal Procedure Code and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Samarjit sought a final extension to complete procedural demands before lodging the chargesheet. The bench allowed the extension and adjourned the next hearing to August 25. But the court clarified that any retardation would invite judicial action. It also exempted the personal presence of NIA officials at the next hearing unless specified instructions were given. Key officials present during the hearing included NIA DIGP D. Sharavan, SP Ashish Kumar, DSP Vikas Kumar, Public Prosecutor Lokesh Kumar, and Advocate General Lenin, who represented the Manipur government.
