The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) says only Parliament and the Government get to decide if a community becomes a Scheduled Tribe. They make the final call, not the courts.
Today, at Ima Khunthokhanbi Shanglen in DM College, STDCM joint secretary Laishram Brijkishore talked about the confusion caused by wrong reporting of a Manipur High Court order. The order was about removing Para number 17 (iii) from the judgment passed by the Chief Justice last year on March 27, related to the Meetei/Meitei community’s request for Scheduled Tribe status.
According to Brijkishore, some media got it wrong, making it seem like the Court rejected the Meitei’s demand. But that’s not true. The matter about ST status for Meitei/Meetei isn’t something for the courts, according to the law.
Brijkishore said that going to court about the ST demand won’t work, as legal experts told them. People suggested taking the matter to court, but after talking to experts, they found it won’t work.
Granting ST status isn’t a court thing; it’s up to the Government and Parliament. This was confirmed by a ruling from the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court in “State of Maharashtra vs Milind & Ors., (2001) 1 SCC 4,” said Brijkishore.
The only valid complaint about Meetei/Meitei’s ST demand is the non-disposal of a letter sent by the Centre to the State on May 29, 2013. Brijkishiore added that maybe the matter reached the Manipur High Court because the State Government didn’t send the recommendation the Centre asked for.
The judgment by the Manipur High Court last year on sending the recommendation was misquoted. It was made to seem like the Court was taking sides, said Brijkishore.
Reiterating, Brijkishore stressed that only the Government and Parliament can decide on ST status, not the Court. The State Government not sending the recommendation is the problem for Meetei/Meitei’s ST demand.
STDCM submitted a memorandum to all Meetei/Meitei MLAs and Ministers in January 2024, asking them to send the recommendation. It’s crucial to grant ST status for Meetei/Meitei’s future, and Brijkishore appealed to the Government to take it seriously and make a collective decision. He also asked the Government to address concerns of those in the ST list and show them that adding Meetei/Meitei will benefit everyone.
