Centre defers Census in Manipur amid NRC-first demand
Centre postpones Manipur Census house-listing after NRC demand; court records undertaking, next hearing Oct 12.
The Union government has decided to postpone the house-listing phase of the Census 2027 in Manipur, yielding to sustained pressure from civil society groups in the Imphal Valley who insist that a National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise be completed first.
The decision was communicated to the Manipur High Court on Monday, which recorded the Centre's undertaking that the operations scheduled to begin September 1 would be deferred. The state government also told the court it would keep its own notification on the Census in abeyance.
A senior government official said the move was prompted by demands from Meitei and Naga groups and the fragile security situation in the state. The High Court, hearing a PIL by the Kangleipak Students' Association and the International Peace and Social Advancement, ordered that the house-listing remain suspended until the next hearing on October 12.
The decision followed a high-level meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The Chief Minister's Office said the Centre agreed to defer the exercise "considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur."
Chief Minister Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, as well as BJP president Nitin Nabin, leaders of 14 civil society organisations, and a delegation of BJP MLAs who had recently lobbied in Delhi for an NRC.
In court, Deputy Solicitor General Kh Samarjit conveyed the Centre's decision on instructions from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. The Centre will formally modify its January 7, 2026 notification that had provided for the Census. The state government, in turn, said it would not begin house-listing from September 1 and would keep its March 22, 2026 notification in abeyance.
The petitions also highlighted two Manipur Assembly resolutions—dated August 5, 2022 and March 1, 2024—seeking an NRC. The state government had earlier written to the Union Home Ministry in January 2023 and June 2024, citing concerns over illegal immigration and demographic changes.
Opposition to the Census has been intense in the Valley, where groups argue that conducting the count before an NRC would legitimise undocumented immigrants and affect future delimitation and resource allocation. The state's freeze on administrative boundaries from January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 had triggered strikes, torch rallies, and school closures across valley districts.