Census Stayed Till April 2027, No Rollback Of Notifications; Registrar General To Decide Representations: Manipur High Court
The Bench disposed of the PIL and writ petition on consent, the Court preserved the petitioners’ right to challenge the speaking order after four-week stay on census process.
The Manipur High Court has ordered that the census exercise in the State will continue to be kept in abeyance till April 30, 2027. It directed the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to consider seven representations on the issue and dispose of them by a common speaking order. The Court even appreciated the Centre and the State for taking a “fair and balanced approach” to the matter, observing that it should not be treated like a “regular adversarial legal drill”.
The Court recorded that the two Gazette notifications issued by the Registrar General and the State’s notification dated March 22, 2026, which put the exercise on hold, shall operate till that date without any rollback or modification. After the speaking order is made, the exercise will stay suspended for four more weeks so that aggrieved parties may approach the Court, which will consider any challenge on its own merits.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma observed, “…To put it differently, the census exercise for the State of Manipur will continue to be put on hold/kept in abeyance till 30.04.2027…”.
“Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the nature of the matter, larger public interest and national interest involved, this Court deems it appropriate to place on record its appreciation for all counsel, senior counsel, learned Advocate General and learned DSGI for taking a very fair and balanced approach to the matter without treating the same like a regular adversarial legal drill”, the Bench said.
Senior Advocate Kh. Tarunkumar appeared for the appellant and Senior Advocate Kh. Samarjit, DSGI appeared for the respondent.
A PIL filed by the Kangleipak Students’ Association and International Peace and Social Advancement, and a writ petition by Shanta Singh Nahakpam, challenged two notifications. The first, dated January 7, 2026, was issued by the Registrar General under the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The second, dated March 22, 2026, was issued by the State’s Commissioner (Home) under Rule 8(iii). House-listing operations for Census 2027 were due to begin in Manipur on September 1, 2026.
The matters were tagged on August 25, when the Union’s letter did not set out its stated position. Both governments sought time on August 28. On August 31, the Deputy Solicitor General said that, on instructions from the Registrar General, house-listing in Manipur would be postponed, and this was recorded as an undertaking. The Advocate General said the State’s notification would be kept in abeyance, and this too was recorded as an undertaking. Subsequently, the Registrar General issued notifications dated September 5 and October 30, 2026.
Noting that census operations had therefore been put on hold, the Court recorded a consensus among all counsel that larger public interest would be better served by directing consideration of the seven representations while the exercise remained in abeyance. It appreciated counsel for taking a fair and balanced approach “without treating the same like a regular adversarial legal drill”.
Besides the seven representations, any person may submit a representation to the Registrar General by November 25, 2026. The Registrar General may hold public consultations, and must record reasons in the speaking order if it does not. The exercise must conclude by April 30, 2027, and the order must be served on petitioners’ counsel within five working days. The PIL and writ petition were disposed of, and seeking to place additional documents on record, was allowed.
Cause Title: The Kangleipak Students’ Association & Anr v. Union of India & Ors (Neutral Citation: 2026:MNHC:259-DB)
Appearances:
Appellant: Senior Advocate Kh. Tarunkumar, Meinam Rustam Singh, Hijam Chandrakumar Singh, Advocates.
Respondent: Kh. Samarjit, Senior Advocate and DSGI, Nongdamba Naorem, Senior Advocate and Advocate General Lenin Hijam, Thanyomi Keishing, Advocate.