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The Union government deferred the Census 2027 house-listing phase in Manipur, which was due to begin on 1 September 2026.
The decision followed a high-level review meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On 31 August 2026 the Manipur High Court recorded the Centre's undertaking that the house-listing would be postponed.
Meitei and Naga organisations want a National Register of Citizens completed before enumeration; Kuki-Zo groups oppose a state-level NRC as premature.
The real stake is delimitation — Manipur's 60 Assembly seats still rest on the 1973 delimitation based on the 1971 Census.
The deferment was formalised on 5 September 2026, when the MHA amended its notification of 7 January 2026 to insert '(except the State of Manipur till further declaration)'.
The statute under which the Census is conducted. The deferment notification was issued under Sections 3 and 17A read with Rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990. Section 3 empowers the Centre to notify the taking of a census; Section 17A relates to the electronic capture and use of census data.
Provides for compulsory registration of every citizen of India and the maintenance of a National Register of Indian Citizens; the NRC demanded in Manipur would flow from this provision and the Citizenship Rules, 2003.
Require readjustment of Lok Sabha seats (Art. 82) and State Legislative Assembly seats (Art. 170) after every Census. Census figures are therefore the direct input to delimitation.
Extended the freeze on readjusting seats until the first census taken after 2026 — which makes Census 2027 the trigger for the next nationwide delimitation and explains why the count is politically fraught.
The Assam-specific provision fixing 25 March 1971 as the cut-off for citizenship; Manipur's petitioners want a 1951-based register instead, which is why the Assam model is not directly transferable.
Last delimitation of Manipur's Assembly constituencies, using 1971 Census figures.
Manipur excluded from the national delimitation exercise along with Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
COCOMI and the United Naga Council jointly demand an NRC and a State Population Commission.
Manipur Assembly adopts a resolution seeking an NRC and a State Population Commission.
Manipur State Population Commission constituted to identify illegal immigrants.
Ethnic violence begins in Manipur, displacing thousands.
Centre scraps the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar on security and demographic grounds.
Manipur Assembly reaffirms the NRC resolution.
The Centre notifies in the Gazette of India its intent to conduct the Population Census 2027, the 16th census and the 8th since Independence.
MHA notifies the commencement of Census 2027 house-listing operations in all States and Union Territories.
Phase I house-listing begins nationally, staggered as 30-day windows in each State or UT; the census is digital for the first time, with a self-enumeration option.
Manipur High Court records the Centre's undertaking that house-listing will be postponed.
Census house-listing deferred; a 24-hour bandh is observed across five valley districts.
MHA amends the 7 January notification, exempting Manipur from house-listing till further declaration.
Next hearing listed before the Manipur High Court special bench.
Reference date for Phase II population enumeration nationally (1 October 2026 for Ladakh and snow-bound areas).
Conducts the decennial Census and maintains the civil registration system; it issues census notifications under the Census Act, 1948.
Statutory body constituted by an Act of Parliament to redraw constituency boundaries after a Census; its orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned in any court.
Set up by the state government in February 2023 to examine population change and identify illegal immigrants in Manipur.
| Issue | Meitei and Naga organisations | Kuki-Zo Council |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence | NRC first, then Census and delimitation | Census first; a pre-Census NRC is premature |
| Base year sought | 1951 register as the cut-off | Opposes an old documentary cut-off that could exclude long-settled families |
| Who may run an NRC | A state-level exercise is acceptable | NRC is a national exercise; no state or community can initiate one unilaterally |
| Delimitation | Delay until displaced people return and citizenship is verified | Supports delimitation, but only on verified demographic data |
GS Paper 2 > Indian Polity: Representation of People, Federalism; GS Paper 1 > Population and Associated Issues
General Awareness > Indian Polity, Current Events
The first phase of the Census, in which buildings, houses and household amenities are enumerated before the population count.
Redrawing of constituency boundaries and reallocation of seats after a Census, mandated by Articles 82 and 170.
National Register of Citizens — a register of persons verified as Indian citizens, flowing from Section 14A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.