Imphal: A Bench of the Manipur High Court on Wednesday amended its previous order regarding the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, potentially impacting the ongoing ethnic conflict between Meiteis and tribal communities in the state.
The controversial Paragraph 17(iii) from the March 2023 order, instructing the Manipur government to consider Meitei inclusion, was deleted.
This decision stemmed from concerns expressed by the Supreme Court and appeals filed by tribal bodies.
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However, the court did not address the remaining portion of the order directing the government to respond to the Centre on the inclusion issue.
Tribal communities, represented by the All Manipur Tribal Students Union, view the remaining directives as equally problematic.
They argued that even without the deleted paragraph, the order pressures the government towards Meitei inclusion, undermining their appeal challenging the entire order.
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The ruling sparks debate, with some considering it a positive step towards resolving the conflict, while others view it as inadequate.
Tribal bodies maintain their appeal and criticize the deletion as a tactic to delay their challenge.
Meanwhile, both the Meitei petitioners and the Union government remained silent during the proceedings.
It may be mentioned that the March 2023 order sparked widespread tension and protests in Manipur.
This erupted into an ongoing ethnic conflict between two communities, claiming over 200 lives and displacing thousands.