Manipur HC adjourns case on ST status for Meiteis; review plea listed for June 19

The Manipur High Court on June 16 adjourned the hearing in the case related to demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the dominant Meitei community in the State, saying a review petition on the matter filed by the Meitei parties had already been listed for June 19. 

The Manipur High Court on June 16 adjourned the hearing in the case related to demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the dominant Meitei community in the State, saying a review petition on the matter filed by the Meitei parties had already been listed for June 19. 

A Division Bench of Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh and A. Guneshwar Sharma is hearing an appeal filed by the All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU). The appeal has been filed against a March 27 order of a single judge directing the State government to recommend Meiteis for inclusion in the ST list. 

The March 27 order had led to sustained protests from Kuki-Zomi and Naga people (already ST) and after one of these protest marches in Churachandpur district, the violence began, soon spreading to the rest of the State. At least 100 people have been killed in the weeks of violence, hundreds more injured and tens of thousands internally displaced. 

While the N. Biren Singh-led State government is yet to decide if it wants to challenge the March 27 order or not; the Meitei Tribes Union has filed a review petition in the matter. The MTU is the organisation that first approached the High Court and secured the March 27 order.

Advocate Ajoy Pebam, one of the lawyers representing Meitei parties in these cases, told The Hindu, “We had initially only prayed for direction that the State government should respond to the Union on the Meiteis’ request for inclusion. Anything else in the order we are not concerned with. So, we have asked for modifications accordingly in the review plea.”

This review petition has been listed before a single judge Bench on Monday. In Friday’s hearing of the appeal against the March 27 order, the court concluded that it would be best to list it after the Monday hearing on the MTU’s review petition. 

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who is appearing for the AMTU in the matter, said, “The court said it will list the case again next week on Wednesday after the Monday hearing in the review petition.”