The Union Government today decided to defer the Census operations in Manipur. The decision came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi today to assess the current situation in Manipur. Meanwhile, the High Court of Manipur directed that the Census operation in Manipur remain deferred until further order.

 

The meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs discussed in detail the demand raised by the people of Manipur to defer the Census exercise in the State before the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The meeting agreed to defer the proposed Census exercise in the State considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur. Manipur’s Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, along with other senior officials, attended the meeting. 

 

Following the meeting, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders for listening to the voices of the people and fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Manipur. He also appreciated the efforts of the leaders of 14 Civil Society Organisations and the delegation of BJP MLAs of Manipur, who had recently campaigned in New Delhi for the implementation of NRC in Manipur. He said that calling bandhs and general strikes will not help in pressing demands before the Government and urged civil society groups to continue dialogue and extend full cooperation to the administration in addressing the socio-political challenges of the state.

 

On the other hand, a special bench of the High Court of Manipur comprising Chief Justice M Sundar and Justice A Guneswar Sharma, while hearing a PIL and a separate writ petition today, directed the deferment of the Census operations in Manipur and the next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for October 12, 2026.