The Centre on Monday decided to defer the house-listing phase of the Census 2027 in Manipur amid strong opposition from civil society groups in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley. The groups have been demanding that the government undertake a National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in the state before the Census.The decision came hours after the Manipur High Court recorded an undertaking from the Centre that the house-listing operations scheduled to begin September 1 would be postponed. The state government also told the court that it would keep its notification on the Census in abeyance.“The decision has been taken in view of demands from Meitei and Naga groups in the state and also the tenuous security situation in Manipur,” a senior government official said.The High Court, which was hearing a PIL filed by the Kangleipak Students’ Association and the International Peace and Social Advancement, along with a connected writ petition, ordered that the house-listing operation remain in abeyance until the next hearing on October 12.Also Read | Census 2027 will still fail to count India’s disabled citizensThe Centre’s decision followed a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday to review the situation in Manipur. According to a statement issued by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s office, the meeting was attended by state Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the Chief Minister, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials.Also Read | Manipur’s 8 Naga MLAs write to Shah, seek ‘bold action’ to check attacks on community membersThe meeting discussed the demand from sections of people from Manipur that the Census exercise be deferred until the implementation of the NRC, the CMO said. It said the Centre agreed to defer the exercise “considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur”.The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah for accepting the demand. He also thanked BJP president Nitin Nabin, leaders of 14 civil society organisations and a delegation of BJP MLAs who recently travelled to New Delhi to press for an NRC in Manipur.The High Court order shows that the Centre’s decision was communicated through Deputy Solicitor General Kh Samarjit, who said, on instructions of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, a decision had been taken to postpone the house-listing operations in Manipur. The Centre was to issue a notification formally modifying the January 7, 2026 notification that had provided for the Census exercise. The court recorded this submission as an undertaking by the Registrar General and the Census Commissioner.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Need to break Manipur’s cycle of reprisalThe state government subsequently told the court that in view of the Centre’s decision, it would not commence the house-listing operation from September 1 and would keep its March 22, 2026 notification in abeyance, pending the Centre’s formal notification.The court ordered that the exercise remain in abeyance until the next listing of cases on October 12. It also directed the parties to complete their pleadings in the intervening period.The petitions before the court focus on demands for postponement of the Census and the implementation of NRC in Manipur. During the proceedings, the petitioners’ counsel pointed to two resolutions of the Manipur Assembly — one dated August 5, 2022 and another reiterating it on March 1, 2024 — seeking the introduction and enforcement of the NRC in the state.Also Read | New Census will ask questions that sparked anti-CAA protestsIn January 2023, the Manipur government had also written to the Union Home Ministry seeking the introduction and enforcement of the NRC in the state. The communication, reproduced in the High Court order, referred to concerns over illegal immigration and demographic changes and requested that the Centre consider introducing and enforcing the NRC in Manipur. A similar communication was sent in June 2024.Story continues below this adThe opposition to the Census has been particularly strong in the Valley, with civil society groups arguing that carrying out the exercise before an NRC would result in undocumented or allegedly illegal immigrants being included in the population count and could have implications for future delimitation and allocation of resources.The state government had previously frozen all administrative boundaries from January 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, to prepare for census operations. This triggered massive strikes, torch rallies and closure of educational institutions across the valley districts.Delegations of local civil society leaders and state legislators had recently traveled to New Delhi to press central authorities to defer the Census until an NRC exercise is initiated.