Centre defers Census 2027 house-listing in Manipur

Guwahati: The Central Government on Saturday notified deferment of the houselisting operations for Census 2027 in Manipur.

The notification stated, “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 and section 17A of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948) read with rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990, the Central Government hereby defers the houselisting operations for Census 2027 for the State of Manipur and for that purpose, hereby makes the following amendment in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs number S.O. 99(E), dated the 7th January, 2026 published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (ii), dated the 7th January 2026.”

It added, “In the said notification, after the words “in all States and Union territories in India”, the words and brackets “(except the State of Manipur till further declaration)” shall be inserted”.


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On Monday the Centre deferred the census operations in Manipur amid protests by civil society organisations for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before conducting the exercise.

The decision came after Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi to assess the current situation in Manipur. The meeting was attended by Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, along with other senior officials.

Earlier on Monday, the Manipur High Court put on hold the census-related exercise, including the house-listing, until further notification from the Registrar General of India.

Shanta Singh Nahakpam, spokesperson for a coalition of 14 CSOs, had said their delegation had met political leaders across party lines, besides retired IAS and IPS officers, lawyers, former politicians and others with expertise on the issue. “The outreach should be viewed as a collective effort involving multiple stakeholders and political viewpoints. We are not only the Meitei community living in the state of Manipur. We have different stakeholders." He urged the Centre to bring all stakeholders together to discuss mechanisms to safeguard the interests and identity of Indian citizens in Manipur.

The Joint Democratic Front has called for a 24-hour bandh on September 2, coinciding with the start of the assembly session, in support of its demand for an NRC.

Also Read: Census 2027 to collect mobile, Aadhaar, bank accounts, ID details alongside caste

People of Manipur across communities — Meiteis, Nagas, Meitei Pangals (Muslims), and even smaller communities — have collectively called for an NRC before the census exercise, fearing that it could legitimise illegal immigrants as Indian citizens and lead to policies, including representation and delimitation, being framed by treating foreigners as Indian citizens.

However, the Kuki-Zo leadership and their CSOs have opposed the demand for an NRC before the census.