Hold all MPSC exams in Manipur’s valley, hill districts: SC panel

THe sublime Court-appointed three-member citizens committee monitoring ease and rehabilitation measures in violence-hit Manipur has directed that all examinations of the Manipur Public serve charge (MPSC) be held in both valley and hill districts, including Churachandpur and Senapati, after finding that security concerns prevented aspirants from travelling to examination centres in the valley .In reports placed before the Supreme Court, the committee also recorded the Manipur government’s response to demands for reconstruction of tribal villages and churches damaged during the ethnic violence, noting that while housing reconstruction schemes are underway, no policy or scheme has yet been formulated for rebuilding churches or other religious structures.The committee further reviewed the status of ex gratia compensation to families of those killed in the ethnic violence. According to one of the reports, the Manipur government informed the panel that compensation has been disbursed to the next of kin of 217 deceased persons, with each family receiving ₹10 lakh as ex gratia assistance. The compensation package comprises an equal contribution of ₹5 lakh each from the Centre and the State government, and the beneficiaries include members of both the Kuki and Meitei communities.The developments form part of Reports No. 45 and 46 submitted by the committee headed by former Jammu and Kashmir chief justice Gita Mittal, which were taken on record by a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on May 27 while monitoring the situation in Manipur, which has been roiled by ethnic violence since May 2023 that has resulted in the Kukis taking to the hills, and the dominant Meiteis, staying in the valley. While a new government is now in place after a period of President’s Rule, the situation remains far from normal, with the communities sticking to their respective regions,The first report further records that, out of 136 cases involving deceased persons and eight cases relating to missing persons that were specifically flagged before the committee, Deputy Commissioners have submitted Action Taken Reports in respect of 122 deceased persons and five missing persons. The state government informed the committee that action in the remaining cases would be undertaken upon receipt of applications by the concerned district authorities.The other, Report No. 46 dealt with representations received from organisations in Churachandpur, the de factor capital of the Kukis after 2023, seeking establishment of examination centres for MPSC recruitment examinations in hill areas. The representations highlighted that candidates from tribal districts faced threats to their life and liberty if they travelled to valley-based examination centres amid the continuing ethnic tensions and therefore could not safely appear in examinations.After convening a meeting with the chief secretary, MPSC chairman, district officials and other stakeholders, the committee found that the concerns were legitimate and that hill districts already possessed the infrastructure necessary to conduct competitive examinations. It noted that examinations conducted by the Manipur Staff Selection Commission as well as the Staff Selection Commission had previously been held in districts such as Churachandpur, Senapati and Ukhrul.The committee observed that all aspirants deserved a fair and equal opportunity to compete and that security concerns expressed by candidates from hill districts “were genuine and actually existed”.Accordingly, it directed that, for the present, all MPSC examinations should be conducted at least at centres in Imphal, Churachandpur and Senapati, while permitting the commission to hold examinations in additional districts as well. The committee further directed that examination schedules be notified at least four weeks in advance and that the state administration provide all logistical and security support necessary for conducting the tests.In Report No. 45, the committee examined action taken by the state government on various representations, including demands for reconstruction of tribal villages destroyed during the violence.The state government informed the committee that financial assistance was being provided through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin and state-funded top-up schemes. According to the report, assistance has been sanctioned for thousands of damaged houses, while 12,000 houses for affected families have been approved for 2026-27.The government told the committee that reconstruction would continue upon receipt and verification of applications by deputy commissioners. It also stated that assessments of damage in several cases were still underway and that its immediate priority remained rehabilitation and resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs).The report recorded that 3,000 prefabricated temporary shelters had already been constructed and occupied, ₹51.95 crore had been released for construction of permanent houses for 885 beneficiaries, and additional financial assistance was being provided for fully and partially damaged homes.However, the committee’s report revealed that no dedicated policy currently exists for reconstruction of churches and other religious structures damaged in the violence.Responding to representations seeking rebuilding of churches, the state government informed the committee that “housing is the priority as of now” and that it had not yet been able to provide compensation for reconstruction of religious structures or government quarters. The government stated that such issues would be considered only after the needs of internally displaced persons were addressed and after an appropriate policy and scheme were formulated for compensation and reconstruction of religious structures.The committee’s reports form part of the continuing Supreme Court-monitored process addressing rehabilitation, compensation, education, housing and access to public services in the aftermath of the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 and displaced tens of thousands of people across both the valley and hill districts.