Manipur HC removes portion of its order on ST tag for Meiteis
- A Bench of the Manipur High Court modified its own March 27, 2023 order, ordering the removal of Paragraph 17(iii),
Key Highlights
- Paragraph 17(iii), had instructed the Manipur government to consider the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
- This direction is said to have triggered the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and the tribal Kuki-Zo communities in the State.
- ST status for Meiteis was considered and rejected in 1982 and 2001, government records show
Process of Inclusion in the ST List
- State governments starts recommending for inclusion of the tribes in the list of ST.
- After the recommendation of the state govt, Tribal Affairs Ministry reviews and sends them to the Registrar General of India, Under the Home Ministry for approval.
- After approval, it is sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and then sent to the Cabinet for a final decision.
- Once the cabinet finalises it, then it introduces a bill in the parliament to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
- After the amendment bill is passed by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the President’s office takes the final decision under Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution
Prelims Takeaway
- National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
- Meities