A single bench of Manipur High Court on December 15, 2023 had directed the state government to appoint Ph Vivekananda Sharma as director in-charge of Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Manipur within a period of 15 days.
The court said, "taking into consideration the nature of arguments advanced by the learned counsel appearing for the parties which needs to be examined and decided on the basis of the materials available in the connected writ appeal and writ petition and taking into consideration the grievances raised by the applicants, we are inclined to grant leave sought by the applicants in the present application."
The Manipur High Court has allowed an appeal against a previous order regarding the recommendation of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community. The court stated that the tribal bodies should have a chance to voice their objections and concerns about granting ST status to the Meitei community. The decision came after a petition was filed by the Meitei Tribes Union, requesting that the state government take action on their pleas for inclusion in the ST list. The court acknowledged that granting ST status to the Meitei community could potentially affect existing ST reservation in employment and education.
The Manipur High Court stated that the court did not find any ground or justification for passing any interim order at the stage which may result in staying the criminal investigation against the MSDPCL officers.
Justice Ahanthem Bimol directed the concerned authorities not to initiate any eviction process against the villagers and other similarly situated persons (numbering 441) who are claiming the status of Other Traditional Forest Dwellers of Wangoo Gram Panchayat, Kakching district, Manipur without leave of the court.