BJP MLA moves SC against HC’s ST status to Meiteis proposal, apex court hearing today

Dinganglung Gangmei argued that the Meitei community is not a tribe and has never been recognised as a tribe and in fact they're very much an advanced community though some

The Supreme Court today will hear at least 2 pleas pertaining to the situation in Manipur owing to stiff opposition to the Manipur High court order on granting ST status to the Meiteis. The 3-member bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala will hear petitions filed by BJP MLA and Hill Area Committee (HAC) Chairman Dinganglung Gangmei and the Manipur Tribal Forum (MTF).

Gangmei challenging the March 27 order of the Manipur High Court, stating that there were 3 basic errors in the judgement.

According to the BJP MLA, the errors include-

Directing the State to make a recommendation to the Central government to include the Meitei community as a Scheduled Tribe in the Presidential list.

Concluding that the isssue of inclusion of the Meiteis was pending for nearly 10 years

Concluding that the Meiteis are tribes

Dinganglung Gangmei argued that the Meitei community is not a tribe and has never been recognised as a tribe and in fact they’re very much an advanced community though some of them may come within SC/OBC.

Gangmei in his appeal said that the Hills Area Committee “was a necessary and proper party and the proceedings before the High Court were vitiated on account of not making the HAC a party”.

“Even if directions were to be given they could not have been given without notice to the HAC (Hills Area Committee) and hearing the HAC,” he added.

The HAC Chairman pointed out that due to the impugned order, tension between both the community have taken place and violent clashes erupted across the state leading to the loss of a number of lives, while leaving several others injured.

As per the petition, there is no recommendation of the State Government pending before the Central Government for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list.

The appeal said that the high court passed the order on a writ petition filed by some members of Meitei communities seeking a direction to the state government to recommend to the Centre to include their community of Manipur in the scheduled tribe list of the Indian constitution as a tribe of Manipur.

Meanwhile, the Manipur Tribal Forum (MTF) in it’s PIL before the Supreme Court, sought directions to the Centre and the state government to deploy central forces to protect all churches and places of worship of the tribal/Christians in Manipur with immediate effect. The PIL has also sought that a SIT be constituted to probe the violence.

“A prayer clause has been made for the appointment of former DGP Assam (Harekrishna Deka) as the head of an SIT to investigate and prosecute and with a mandate to put together a team of his choice of police personnel and other support secretarial staff so that final reports are made expeditiously,” it said.
The PIL has also sought for compensation to the victims.

Worth mentioning, the Manipur High Court on April 19 had asked the Manipur government to submit recommendations for the inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the ST list. This has been a long-standing demand of the community.

The Court had directed the state Government to consider the case preferably within a period of four weeks with effect from April 19 itself.

Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur, Justice M.V. Muralidharan, had issued directives to the Manipur government during the final disposal of a Civil Writ Petition filed by eight members of Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union led by Union Secretary Mutum Churamani Meetei.

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