The Manipur High Court on June 16 adjourned the hearing in the case related to demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the dominant Meitei community in the State, saying a review petition on the matter filed by the Meitei parties had already been listed for June 19.
A Division Bench of Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh and A. Guneshwar Sharma is hearing an appeal filed by the All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU). The appeal has been filed against a March 27 order of a single judge directing the State government to recommend Meiteis for inclusion in the ST list.
The March 27 order had led to sustained protests from Kuki-Zomi and Naga people (already ST) and after one of these protest marches in Churachandpur district, the violence began, soon spreading to the rest of the State. At least 100 people have been killed in the weeks of violence, hundreds more injured and tens of thousands internally displaced.
