Chennai/Puducherry; November 2026: Today Tamil Nadu & Puducherry People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) have publicly condemned the appointment of Justice M.V. Muralidharan as Chairperson of Tamil Nadu SC/ST Commission, citing his role in the Manipur Crisis.
In a joint statement R. Murali, President, and D. Sekar Annadurai, General Secretary has voiced: “When Justice M.V. Muralidharan was the Acting Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, on 27th March 2023, he delivered a judgment through his single-judge Bench directing the Government of Manipur to make a recommendation within four weeks to the Union Minister concerned for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The Meitei people predominantly inhabit the densely populated Imphal Valley. They are socially and economically advanced and possess considerable dominance and political influence. They constitute about 53% of Manipur’s total population and are the majority community. The remaining population consists of tribal people inhabiting the hill regions, including the Kuki, Naga and other tribal communities. Most of these tribal communities are Christians. The then Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, belonged to the Meitei community.
Following the above High Court order, violence erupted between tribal and non-tribal communities in Manipur. More than a hundred people were killed and tens of thousands were displaced. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh further aggravated the violence by spreading hatred against the Kuki community, portraying them as “infiltrators” and Christians who were allegedly seeking to destroy Manipur in the name of Christianity.
A Special Leave Petition was filed before the Supreme Court challenging the controversial order. The matter came before a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud. The Bench had observed that the single-judge order of Justice M.V. Muralidharan had “crossed the constitutional fence” and that the criteria for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list had already been conclusively settled through several judgments of Constitution Benches of the Supreme Court. The order was therefore wholly erroneous, both on facts and in law.
Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution make it clear that the power to specify communities as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes rests with the President and Parliament, in accordance with the constitutional procedure.
If the Meitei community were included in the Scheduled Tribes list, its members would acquire the legal right to purchase land in the hill areas inhabited by the Kuki and other tribal communities. Given their greater social, economic and political influence, the tribal communities feared that, over time, the Meitei community would appropriate lands belonging to the Kuki and other tribal peoples. It was with this concern that the tribal communities strongly opposed the proposed inclusion.
Article 371-C of the Constitution provides safeguards for the protection of the hill areas of Manipur inhabited by tribal communities. Hill Area Committees of the Legislative Assembly have also been constituted to deliberate upon and decide matters affecting these areas.
It is the considered view of the Tamil Nadu & Puducherry PUCL that Justice M.V. Muralidharan acted as a mouthpiece of the ruling BJP governments at the Union and State levels, thereby contributing to the circumstances that led to the Manipur violence. The organisation holds that his actions were contrary to the principles of social justice and secularism, which are fundamental features of the Constitution.
The Tamil Nadu Government has issued an order on Tuesday, 10th November 2026 appointing him as the Chairperson of the State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This appointment has to be viewed as a reward bestowed upon him for his role in precipitating the Manipur violence.
The appointment of Justice M.V. Muralidharan is against the principles of social justice, secularism and fraternity. The Tamil Nadu & Puducherry People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) strongly condemns the Government of Tamil Nadu for this appointment”.
Team Maverick.
