BJP MLA and chairman of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the Manipur assembly Dinganglung Gangmei has approached the Supreme Court

BJP MLA and chairman of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the Manipur assembly Dinganglung Gangmei has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Manipur high court’s order directing the state government to recommend granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meiteis. Currently, only the tribes hailing from the hill districts of the northeastern border state are on the ST list. The high court order was in response to a petition filed by members of the Meetei Tribe Union, a group formed to demand ST status for the community, that was pending for nearly ten years. The state government was asked to send the recommendation to the Union tribal affairs ministry by May 19. Gangmei was among tribal leaders who criticized the high court order, leading Justice M.V. Murlidharan to issue a contempt notice to him. The HAC also passed a resolution urging the government of Manipur and the government of India to go for appeals against the high court order “taking into accounts the sentiments and interests/rights of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur.” Gangmei has now approached the Supreme Court with a special leave petition (SLP) challenging the high court’s order, arguing that directing the state government to recommend a tribe for inclusion in the ST List is solely within the jurisdiction of the state and not the high court. With the state witnessing unprecedented violence between the tribal and the non-tribal population springing out of the demand since May 3, Gangmei’s SLP also indicated that the unrest took place after the high court order, causing displacement of thousands of people, loss of property and life.

Image Source: The Wire

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