Submit recommendations for including Meetei/Meitei in ST list: Manipur HC to govt
The tribal status of Meetei/Meitei existed before Sept 21, 1949 (before signing of the Merger Agreement) as part of the terms & conditions of Merger Agreement of Manipur into the Indian Union
The high court of Manipur has directed the state government to submit recommendations to the union government for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list and consider the case within a period of four weeks.
The single bench of the high court issued the directive on March 27 after hearing the plea filed by eight petitioners including secretary of Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union.
According to the petitioners, the tribal status of Meetei/Meitei existed before September 21, 1949 (before signing of the Merger Agreement) as part of the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement of Manipur into the Indian Union and also urged ministry of tribal affairs to restore the Scheduled Tribe status of Meetei/Meitei community.
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They also sought for the court to issue a directive to the ministry of tribal affairs to restore the ST status of Meetei/Meitei community stating that there is documentary evidence which show that earlier, Meetei/Meitei community also belonged to tribal community.
On May 29,2013, the union ministry of tribal affairs wrote a letter to the government of Manipur requesting for specific recommendation along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report, but the state government failed to submit the recommendation.
Notably, inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the ST list is one of the long standing demands of several civil society organisations including the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) and World Meitei Council in the state.
However, tribal student bodies including All Tribal Students Union Manipur had raised strong objections to the demand of inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in ST list.
On April 17, a 7-member STDCM team had submitted a memorandum to the Outer Manipur MP Lorho S Pfoze, seeking his cooperation in the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST list.
The Meetei/Meitei will likely become a minority on its own ancestral land if the issue of demographic imbalance is not taken seriously, the memorandum stated.