Meetei ST demand imbroglio: HAC resolves to urge Govt for appeal against Manipur HC Order

Taking into account the sentiments and interests/rights of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur, the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of Manipur Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously resolved to urge the Government of Manipur and Government of India to go for Appeals against the the Manipur High Court's Order directing the State Government to recommend inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribes list of Indian Constitution.

The Hill Areas Committee, comprising all the elected members of Manipur Legislative Assembly from the Hill areas, held a meeting today in the Office Chamber of the Chairman, HAC, Dinganglung Gangmei, and unanimously adopted the resolution in this regard.

The Resolution No. 55/2023- (HAC) dated 20th April, 2023, stated that the Hill Areas Committee was perturbed/aggrieved by the Order of High Court of Manipur dated 19/4/2023 in Writ Petition No. 229 of 2023 directing the Government of Manipur to recommend for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei community in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India in spite of strong opposition from the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur.

In this matter, the Committee asserted that the HAC as a Constitutional Body of the Hill Areas of Manipur was neither made a party to the case nor consulted. The HAC also has never given any recommendation or consent. Further, it is pertinent to mention that the Meitei/Meetei community of Manipur are already protected under Constitution of India and categorized as General, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Caste (SC), stated the Resolution.

Mention may be made that with respect to a writ petition No. 229 of 2023 before a bench of Acting Chief Justice MR. Muralidaran, the court yesterday gave a judgement and order (oral), directing the Manipur Government to submit the recommendation in reply to the letter dated 29.5.2013 of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.

The order stated that the State Government should consider the case of the Meetei/Meitei Tribe Union for inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, expeditiously, preferably within a period four weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of the order in terms of the averments set out in the writ petition and in the line of the order passed in WP(C) No. 4281 of 2002 dated 26.05.2003 by the Gauhati High Court.

The Writ petition was filed by the Meitei/Meetei Tribe Union as the supposed recommendation was pending for about ten years or more. The Tribals living in the Hill areas of Manipur vehemently opposed the demand for inclusion of Meetei/Meiteis in the ST list of Indian Constitution, asserting that their rights would be jeopardised in case of Meetei/Meitei's inclusion in ST list.