Imphal: The Meitei Tribes Union (MTU) has filed a petition in the Manipur High Court to review and modify the order it had passed on March 27 on the listing of the Meitei community in the Schedule Tribe (ST) list. The Manipur High Court has now listed this review petition for the next hearing on July 5.
Admitting the petition by MTU for hearing, the Manipur High Court has issued notices to the Government of India and the State government, seeking their response on the matter by June 19. The Manipur High Court admitted the review petition by MTU seeking to modify its March 27 order that directed the State government to recommend to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.
After admitting the petition by MTU for further hearing, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidharan on June 19 issued notices to the Government of India and the State government, seeking their response. It should be mentioned that a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidharan passed an order on March 27 to recommend listing the Meitei community in the ST list.
In the earlier order passed on March 27, the Manipur High Court had directed the Manipur government to reply to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry on a file related to the request to include the Meiteis on the ST list. The High Court had noted in its order that the Meitei community had submitted several requests for ST status to the Government of India from 2013 onwards. Based on that demand and formalities, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs forwarded the matter to the State government for a formal recommendation. But the State government didn’t respond to the request by the Tribal Affairs Ministry for an extended period, creating disappointment amongst the Meiteis. In the March 27 order, the Manipur High Court directed the State government to respond to the Union government’s recommendation urgently.
Further, the High Court, in its order, said, “The first respondent shall consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, expeditiously, preferably within a period four weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.”
MTU advocate Ajoy Pebam told the media that, per the Supreme Court’s earlier order, inclusion or exclusion of any community in or from the ST list is the prerogative of the Parliament and the President. So we have filed the petition to revise the Single Bench order passed on March 27. Advocate Pebam further said that the MTU wants the Manipur government to respond to the letter since it is not authorised to grant ST status.
It should be mentioned that the Hindu Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mainly in the Imphal Valley. Kuki and other tribes constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 during the solidarity march organised by the Tribal Students Union against including the Meitei community in the ST list. Over 110 people have lost their lives, and more than 350 people, including an MLA and several security personnel, were injured in the continuing violence, which persisted for over a month.
41,014 arson cases were registered during the violence, and over 45,000 people were displaced in the clashes. Over 14000 Army, Assam Rifles, paramilitary forces and state security forces are engaged in Manipur to control the law and order situation and restore peace and normalcy in the North-eastern state.
