Manipur High Court revokes direction recommending ST status to Meiteis
The Manipur High Court has removed a paragraph from its contentious March 27, 2023, order directing the state government to recommend Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community. Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu stated that the order contradicted the Supreme Court's direction that courts cannot change or alter the ST list. An appeal against the high court order was filed by the All Manipur Tribal Union and other groups, claiming that tribal organizations were not party to the original writ petition.
Why does this story matter?
The high court ruling played a crucial role in fueling the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the tribal Kuki-Zo populations of Manipur. Since the ethnic violence began on May 3, over 200 people have been killed across the state, and more than 60,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. Tribal bodies contended that awarding the Meiteis ST status would hurt the tribals' rights and benefits, as the Meiteis are the state's dominant community.
Judgment passed in 'misconception of law'
Justice Gaiphulshillu also declared that the judgment was based on a "misconception of law," as the "petitioners failed to assist the court properly at the time of hearing of the said writ petition." A single-judge bench of MV Muralidaran passed the March 27 order on a petition filed by Meitei Tribes Union. But after the order led to widespread violence, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the issue, and Muralidaran was later transferred to the Calcutta High Court.
High court accepted petition to amend order in January
In October 2023, the high court allowed tribal organizations in Manipur to appeal against the March 27 order. The All Manipur Tribal Union subsequently filed an appeal. On January 20, the high court accepted a review petition to amend its March 27 order and issued notices to the Centre and state government, seeking their response.
Appeal against entire March 27 order still pending
However, the appeal against the entire March 27 order by tribal organizations is still pending before the court. On Wednesday, advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the tribal bodies, said, "This [court order] makes no difference." "The rest of the March 27 order remains. So even with the deletion, the effect of the order is the same: the state government is being directed to reply to the Centre on inclusion in the ST list. Our appeal challenges the entirety of this."
Why Meiteis are demanding ST status
The geography of Manipur is divided into two regions: the Imphal Valley, where Meities reside, and the hill districts, where tribals such as the Kukis and Nagas reside. Meiteis accounts for 60% of the population and is largely concentrated in the tiny 1,864.44-square-kilometer Imphal Valley. In comparison, tribal-dominated hill areas reportedly cover 90% of Manipur. Migration from Bangladesh and Myanmar has compounded the problem in Imphal. This has driven Meiteis to demand ST status to have access to tribals' lands.
