The Manipur High Court has ordered a temporary halt to the Census 2027 exercise in the State until 30th April, 2027, giving the Central government time to examine concerns over conducting the census amid the prevailing situation in Manipur.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice M Sundar and Justice A Guneshwar Sharma directed the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to examine seven representations and pass a reasoned order by 30th April next year. The Court also ordered that the existing notifications keeping the Census on hold should remain in force without any changes 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.
The Court further directed that the Census should remain suspended for four weeks after the authorities pass their decision. This will give people or organisations unhappy with the decision enough time to challenge it before the Court.
Manipur: The High Court has directed that the Census 2027 exercise in the State remain suspended until April 30, 2027, pending consideration of representations raising concerns over the exercise in view of the prevailing situation The Court further ordered that the existing notifications keeping the Census exercise in abeyance shall continue without modification until then.
— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2026
The 4th November order was passed in a public interest litigation filed by the Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA) and International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA). A connected petition was also filed by Shanta Singh Nahakpam.
Petitioners raise concerns over displaced residents and population records
The petitioners had questioned the decision to conduct the Census while many people in Manipur remain displaced following the ethnic violence in the State. They argued that carrying out the exercise without addressing these concerns could affect the accuracy of population records.
Their representations also raised questions about identifying internally displaced persons and ensuring that their details are properly included in the Census.
The proceedings referred to two resolutions passed unanimously by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on 5th August, 2022, and 1st March, 2024. Through these resolutions, the Assembly had sought the introduction and enforcement of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
During earlier hearings, the petitioners had asked the Court to postpone the Census until their concerns were properly considered.
Centre had already deferred Census exercise in Manipur
On 31st August, the Central government informed the High Court that it had decided to postpone the house-listing operations for Census 2027 in Manipur. The State government also assured the Court that it would not begin the exercise, which was scheduled to start on 1st September, 2026.
Following this, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner issued notifications on 5th September and 30th October regarding the postponement.
The High Court took note of these developments and observed that all parties agreed that the representations should be considered before the Census exercise could move forward. It directed the Census Commissioner to examine all seven representations and issue a common, reasoned order.
The Bench also allowed individuals and organisations, including the petitioners, to submit additional representations until 25th November, 2026. The authorities can also hold public consultations. However, if they decide against conducting such consultations, they will have to explain the reasons behind their decision.
The final order must be communicated to the petitioners’ lawyers within five working days and uploaded to the official websites of the Manipur government and the Census Commissioner.
The Court clarified that anyone dissatisfied with the decision would be free to approach it again. It said such grievances would be examined independently.
