Census in Manipur to stay on hold until 30 April 2027, High Court says

The census in Manipur will stay on hold until 30 April 2027, the Manipur High Court has said.

A Division Bench led by Chief Justice M. Sundar ordered that the exercise be kept in abeyance until that date. It asked the Registrar General of India, who runs the census, to consider seven representations made to it, and closed the public interest petition and the writ petition before it. One of the petitioners was the Kangleipak Students’ Association.

Why it matters

The census is the basis for many decisions, from welfare schemes to the redrawing of constituencies. Groups in Manipur have protested for months, demanding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be updated in the State before people are counted.

The first stage of Census 2027, the listing of houses, was due to begin in Manipur on 1 September 2026. The Centre put it off after a review of the situation in the State. On 30 October, the Centre issued a notification keeping Manipur out of the nationwide count “till further declaration”.

Across the rest of India, the census is moving ahead, with the population count in early 2027.

What’s next

The Registrar General must now decide on the seven representations. The court’s order means no census work will take place in Manipur before the end of April 2027 unless it is changed.