Manipur: UNC condemns HC’s order on inclusion of Meiteis in ST list

Imphal: The United Naga Council (UNC) has strongly condemned the recent ruling of the High Court of Manipur regarding the demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list by the Meitei community in the state.

On March 27, the High Court of Manipur directed the state government to recommend to the Union government the inclusion of the Meitei/Meetei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list and to consider the case within a period of four weeks. The UNC has strongly criticized this decision, stating that it is irrational to include the Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list, as the purpose of this list is to provide protective discrimination for groups that require it, and this community does not meet the criteria for inclusion.

The UNC has argued that the Meitei/Meetei community of Manipur is an advanced community in India and that their language, Manipuri (Meiteilon), is listed in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution of India. Additionally, this community is already protected under the Constitution of India and is categorized as (i) General, (ii) Other Backward Classes (OBC), and (iii) Schedule Caste (SC).