Manipur high court suspends census till April 30 amid NRC update demand

A division bench of Chief Justice M Sundar and justice Aribam Guneshwar Sharma passed the order on November 4 while disposing of a PIL and a writ petition.

The Manipur High Court has directed the Centre to keep the houselisting operations for the 2027 Census suspended in the state until April 30, 2027, and asked it to examine demands for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before proceeding with the exercise.

Guwahati, Sep 02 (ANI): A woman census official doing door-to-door house listings and housing surveys under the 2027 census, in Guwahati on Wednesday. (ANI Photo) (David Talukdar)

A division bench of Chief Justice M Sundar and justice Aribam Guneshwar Sharma passed the order on November 4 while disposing of a PIL and a writ petition. It directed the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to examine seven representations submitted by civil society organisations and student bodies and issue a common, reasoned order by April 30, 2027.

The petitions, filed by the Kangleipak Students’ Association, International Peace and Social Advancement, a group of 14 civil society organisations and the Joint Committee Opposing Delimitation Exercise in Manipur, raised concerns over what they described as abnormal population growth in hill districts during the 1971 and 2011 Census exercises. The petitioners sought an update of the 1951 NRC before the 2027 Census.

The court also allowed petitioners, members of the public and other organisations to submit additional representations within three weeks, setting November 25, 2026, as the deadline. No submissions made after that date will be entertained.

Rahul likely to visit Manipur near November’s end

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Manipur towards the end of November to meet families displaced and affected during the ongoing clashes in the state, besides discussing preparations for the legislative assembly elections in 2027, Congress leader Keisham Meghachandra said on Monday. “The tentative schedule is yet to be confirmed,” he said.