Overview
- The Union Home Ministry issued a Gazette notification on Saturday formally deferring the house-listing phase of Census 2027 for the state of Manipur.
- The decision followed an undertaking recorded in the Manipur High Court on August 31 and a high-level review chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah after house-listing was due to start on September 1.
- Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh publicly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and said the deferment addressed the people’s concerns and aimed to preserve stability.
- Meitei civil society groups and a unanimous Manipur Assembly resolution have demanded an updated National Register of Citizens before any census work, while the Kuki-Zo Council argues a state-only NRC would have no clear constitutional basis.
- No new date for resuming house-listing has been announced, leaving residents of the Imphal Valley uncertain about enumeration and increasing the likelihood of further legal challenges and local unrest.