The Manipur High Court has put the upcoming Census exercise in the state on hold until April 30, 2027, while the central government considers representations that raised significant concerns about conducting the count amid the region's ongoing conflict and widespread displacement.
As part of its directives, the court instructed the Centre alongside the Registrar General and Census Commissioner to review the submitted representations and issue formal orders by April 30. Until that time, the census process in the state will remain in abeyance.
The underlying representations pointed to disruptions in daily life, road closures, and instances where homes were either abandoned or damaged due to the violence, which petitioners argued would severely compromise an accurate population count.
Petitioners pressed for a new population count, specifically targeting the hill areas, and demanded that a delimitation exercise be carried out. The submitted concerns also alleged the emergence of unauthorized villages across the hill districts following the ethnic unrest, alongside claims that undocumented immigrants had entered the state and formed marital ties with locals.
Legal observers noted these points represent allegations raised within the formal representations rather than judicial findings. In addition to pausing the census, the petitioners requested that the National Register of Citizens be updated prior to any population enumeration taking place.