New Delhi, Feb. 27 -- The Union home ministry on Thursday appointed justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, former justice in the Supreme Court, as chairperson of the three-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) formed on June 4, 2023, to investigate the ethnic violence in Manipur. Chauhan will take charge on March 1, as the chairperson, according to a government notification, which said that the government accepted the resignation of the current chairperson, justice Ajai Lamba (retired).

In November last year, the CoI was given time until May 20, 2026 to submit its report - the fifth such extension given to the Commission. The previous deadline was November 20, 2025. The Inquiry Commission has two offices: one in Imphal, Manipur and another in New De...