1. The Manipur government backs conducting civil services exams outside the state, citing ethnic tensions.
2. Chief Secretary offers financial aid for aspirants to travel to exam centers outside Manipur.
3. Delhi HC briefed on Manipur’s stance during a hearing on the plea for additional exam centers.
Imphal, March 19: The Delhi High Court was informed on Tuesday that the Manipur government supports the idea of having examination centers outside the state for conducting civil services preliminary exams, scheduled for May 26.
Advocates representing the Manipur government conveyed to the court, during a hearing on a plea seeking additional exam centers in the state, that the Chief Secretary has expressed willingness to offer financial assistance to aspirants for traveling to centers outside Manipur, given the ongoing ethnic tensions in the region.
Observing the stance of the Manipur authorities, the bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan suggested conducting the exams outside the state, similar to the previous year, and directed the UPSC counsel to seek instructions on the matter.
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The petitioner, Zomi Students Federation, moved the high court seeking examination centers in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, and urged reopening the application window for aspirants to choose their preferred center.
The Manipur government’s counsel informed the court that considering the circumstances and to maintain the examination’s integrity, establishing centers in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi might not be feasible. Instead, students from Manipur could be allocated centers outside the state, with financial aid provided for their convenience.
It was noted that even in the previous year, civil services exams were conducted outside Manipur due to similar reasons.
The UPSC counsel had earlier informed the court about the commission’s attempts to communicate with the Manipur Chief Secretary regarding the opening of examination centers in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Ukhrul, but received no response.
Manipur witnessed violence in May 2023 following a high court directive to consider including the non-tribal Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list, sparking ethnic clashes. The situation escalated, resulting in numerous casualties and injuries.
The case is scheduled for further hearing on March 22.
