Manipur Census to remain on hold until April 2027, says High Court

NEW DELHI, NOV 9 (AGENCIES): 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.
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.
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.