On January 28, 2026, the Supreme Court extended the tenure of the Justice Gita Mittal-led committee, which is in charge of overseeing relief and rehabilitation efforts for victims of ethnic violence in Manipur, until July 31, 2026.

The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The decision was made after the court was informed that the committee's original term had ended in July 2025, though the panel continued its work. The bench regularized the panel’s operations after its expiry in July 2025.

The court was also informed that the committee has already submitted 42 reports covering various aspects of victim rehabilitation. Chief Justice Kant stated that the continuation of the committee would be regularized, as no formal extension had been granted since July 2025, and granted time until July 31, 2026.

The Supreme Court established the all-women panel on August 7, 2023, in response to widespread outrage over viral videos depicting sexual violence against women. The committee consists of former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal, former Bombay High Court Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, and former Delhi High Court Justice Asha Menon.

The committee's wide-ranging mandate includes several key tasks:

• Investigating the nature of violence against women in Manipur starting from May 4, 2023.
• Submitting a report to the Court on the steps required to meet the needs of the survivors, including measures for dealing with rape trauma, and providing social, economic, and psychological support, relief, and rehabilitation in a time-bound manner.
• Ensuring free and comprehensive medical and psychological care to survivors.
• Ensuring dignified conditions in relief camps for displaced persons, including suggestions for additional camps.

The extension of the Justice Gita Mittal Committee's tenure underscores the Supreme Court's continued commitment to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Manipur, where ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities have resulted in over 200 deaths, the displacement of thousands, and widespread destruction since May 3, 2023. The committee is probing violence specifics, survivor needs, and relief camp conditions. The extension follows recent court directives for reports on relief facilities and criminal probes monitored by former Maharashtra DGP Dattatray Padsalgikar. The committee is authorized to submit its reports directly to the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the cases related to ethnic strife.