The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the deadline for the judicial inquiry commission investigating the ongoing violence in Manipur, directing it to submit its report by May 20, 2025.
A gazette notification issued on December 4 confirmed the extension. “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 (60 of 1952), the Central Government hereby makes the following amendment in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs number S.O. 2424 (E), dated June 4, 2023… The Commission shall submit its report to the Central Government as soon as possible but not later than May 20, 2025,” the notification read.
The commission was initially formed on June 4, 2023, and is chaired by former Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajai Lama (retired). The commission also includes IAS Himanshu Shekhar (retired) and IPS Aloka Prabhakar (retired) as members.
Earlier, the MHA had extended the deadline to November 20, 2023, following an initial directive to submit the report within six months of the commission’s first full sitting, which began on November 20, 2023.
The commission is tasked with investigating the causes and spread of the violence that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, targeting various communities. Additionally, it is probing whether there were any lapses or failures by state authorities in handling the unrest.