People raise slogans as they campaign for to press for the demand for implementation of NRC updation before conducting the census. (PTI photo) NEW DELHI: The Manipur high court has directed the Centre to keep the Census 2027 exercise in the state on hold until April 30, 2027, giving the authorities time to examine concerns raised over conducting the population count amid the continuing impact of ethnic violence and displacement.A division bench of Justices M Sundar and A Guneshwar Sharma asked the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to consider seven representations on the issue and pass a reasoned order by April 30 next year.
The existing notifications suspending the exercise will remain in force until then."To put it differently, the census exercise for the State of Manipur will continue to be put on hold/kept in abeyance till 30.04.2027," the Bench said as per Bar and Bench.The court also ordered that the Census remain suspended for four weeks after the authorities take a decision on the representations.
This period will allow anyone aggrieved by the decision to challenge it before the court.Why the Census was challenged in Manipur The November 4 order came on a public interest litigation filed by the Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA) and International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA), along with a separate petition filed by Shanta Singh Nahakpam.
The petitioners argued that conducting the Census while thousands of people remained displaced by ethnic violence could affect the accuracy of population records.
They also raised concerns about identifying internally displaced persons and accounting for their circumstances before carrying out the exercise.The proceedings also referred to resolutions unanimously adopted by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 5, 2022, and March 1, 2024, calling for the introduction and enforcement of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).During earlier hearings, the petitioners had asked the court to postpone the Census until their concerns were addressed.On August 31, the Centre informed the High Court that it had decided to defer house-listing operations for Census 2027 in Manipur.
The state government also assured the court that it would not begin the exercise scheduled for September 1, 2026.Following this, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner issued notifications on September 5 and October 30 regarding the postponement.
The court took note of these steps and observed that the parties agreed that the representations should be examined before the Census could proceed.Centre asked to examine representations The Bench directed the Census Commissioner to assess all seven representations on their merits and issue a common, reasoned order.
It also allowed individuals and organisations, including the petitioners, to submit further representations until November 25, 2026.The authorities may also hold public consultations to consider the concerns raised.
If they decide against holding such consultations, they will have to provide reasons for doing so.The court further directed that the final decision be communicated to the petitioners' lawyers within five working days and uploaded to the official websites of the Manipur government and the Census Commissioner.Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Those dissatisfied with the decision will be free to approach the High Court, which will consider their grievances independently."Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the nature of the matter, larger public interest and national interest involved, this Court deems it appropriate to place on record its appreciation for all counsel, senior counsel, learned Advocate General and learned DSGI for taking a very fair and balanced approach to the matter without treating the same like a regular adversarial legal drill," the Bench as per Bar and Bench.
