Former Gauhati HC Chief Justice resigns as chairperson of panel probing Manipur violence

New Delhi: Former Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajai Lamba has resigned as the chairperson of Commission of Inquiry probing Manipur violence, prompting the government to appoint former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan in his place.

The reasons for Justice Lamba to quit the post to which he was appointed on 3 June, 2023, is not immediately known.

A notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday said, "consequent upon the acceptance of resignation" of Justice Lamba, from the post of the Chairperson of Commission of Inquiry appointed for the purpose of "making an inquiry into a definite matter of public importance, namely, incidents of violence in Manipur," with effect from February 28, the central government appoints Justice Chauhan as Chairperson of the Commission.

It said the Terms of Reference and other conditions of the Commission remain unchanged. Retired IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and former IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar continue to remain the members of the COI, which is headquartered at Imphal.

The deadline for submitting the report is fixed at May 20. Earlier, the Commission was given six months time from its first sitting but it was extended thrice. Initially, it was set on 20 November, 2024 and was first extended to 20 May, 2025 and 20 November, 2025 and then to May this year.

The Terms of Reference of the Commission include investigations into the "causes and spread" of the violence and riots targeting members of different communities in Manipur 3 May, 2023, the "sequence of events leading to, and all the facts" relating to violence, "lapses or dereliction" of duty this regard on the part of any authorities or individuals and the "adequacy of the administrative measures" taken to prevent, and to deal with the violence and riots.