Supreme Court Issues Notice On Petition To Relocate Displaced NIT Manipur Students To Other NITs

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (March 19) issued notice on a petition filed by Kuki Students Organisation seeking the relocation of 38 displaced Scheduled Tribed Engineering Students of the National Institute of Technology(NIT), Manipur to other branches of NIT.  The PIL has been filed in light of the ongoing ethnic violence which erupted in the state of Manipur last year. 

The bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was informed that of the 38 displaced students, 17 students are living in refugee camps. Considering the urgency of the matter, the CJI observed, "We will issue notice, and keep it at an earlier date". The counsel appearing for the petitioners further submitted that the previous order of the bench directing the relocation of 284 students, pertained only to those studying at Manipur University and would not benefit NIT students. 

The main contention of the petitioners is that due to the ongoing ethnic violence, their education and careers have been put at stake. Of the total students displaced, 17 are currently in refugee camps while 21 of them are residing outside Manipur. The lack of technologically advance infrastructure and resources along with the absence of the Internet to pursue their degrees qualitatively has necessitated them to file the present petition. 

It is additionally highlighted in their written submissions that the NIT Manipur Ordinance on Code and Conduct mandates for practical sessions and hands-on learning experiences stand as crucial components. The teaching plan for specialized courses incorporates various subject meetings each semester, such as laboratory sessions; design projects; drawing lessons; studio activities; and workshop practice. The hands-on aspects of these subjects are not well-adapted to virtual learning settings. 

It is the case of the petitioners that despite multiple representations made to the Respondent authorities including the Ministry of Education, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and the Justice Gita Mittal Committee, no action has been taken in this regard.  

The petitioner prays for the transfer of their courses to NITs present in other states. Of the 31 NITs spread across the country, 7 of them are present in the Northeast region, including the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram (excluding Manipur). It is further sought that the transfer procedure be done waiving off the cumbersome requirement of online application filing and document submission as the displaced student do not have access to either their mark sheets or other relevant documents. 

Last year, in December the Supreme Court in a similar plea by 284 students of Manipur University, directed the Justice Gita Mittal Committee to to explore better administrative decisions to aid the situation of the students.  It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had constituted a panel of three women judges to oversee the humanitarian works for the victims of Manipur violence.  

CASE DETAILS: KUKI STUDENTS ORGANISATION DELHI vs. THE UNION OF INDIA W.P.(C) No. 000165 - / 2024  

Counsels for Petitioner: Sr Advocate Mr Santosh Paul; Mr Ajay Justice Shaw; Mr Sanbha Rumnong; Ms Lija Merin John; AoR Aakarsh Kamra

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