Census to remain on hold in Manipur till April 2027: HC

10 NOVEMBER 2026

The High Court of Manipur has said that the Census in the State will remain suspended until at least April 30, 2027, while the Centre considers requests from campaign groups and residents to delay or change the dates for the exercise.
A Bench of Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma said postponement notices already issued by the Centre and the State government must remain in force until the date specified and cannot be withdrawn or altered.
The court’s November 4 order disposed of two petitions, one filed by Imphal resident Shanta Singh Nahakpam and the other by the Kangleipak Students’ Association and the International Peace and Social Advancement. They had challenged the plan to begin house-listing, the first stage of the 2027 Census, in the State from September 1.
The petitioners argued that conditions in Manipur, where thousands of people have been displaced by the ethnic violence that began in May 2023, were not right for an accurate headcount.
They also expressed fears that Census figures could affect the redrawing of Assembly constituency boundaries.
The court noted that some groups wanted the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be updated before the Census operation is undertaken and the 2001 Census figures in certain hill areas to be recounted.
Meitei and Naga organisations want the citizens’ register updated before the Census, but pro-Census Kuki-Zo organisations see the NRC demand as “premature and unjustified”.