Manipur State Constitution Act 1947
| Manipur State Constitution Act | |
|---|---|
| Constitution-making Committee | |
| Territorial extent | Manipur |
| Passed by | Manipur (princely state) |
| Passed | 26 July 1947 |
| Enacted | 1947 |
| Signed by | Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh |
| Date of expiry | 15 October 1949 |
| Status: Unknown | |
Manipur State Constitution Act 1947 is an act which enabled Manipur State to have a de jure written constitution enacted by the last Maharajah of Manipur Bodhchandra Singh. The validity of the act in present time is debated.
Background
After the 1891 rebellion in Manipur, the British took direct control of the state's administration. While the Maharaja was retained as a nominal head of state, the real power rested with the British Political Agent and a British official appointed as the President of the Durbar. The hill regions, populated by Naga and Kuki tribes, were taken out of the jurisdiction of the Maharaja and administered by the President using Assam regulations.
In 1934, Nikhil Manipuri Mahsabha (NMM) was established by Hijam Irabot with the-then Maharajah Churachand Singh as President. By 1938 it had become a prominent political front advocating the democratization of the powers held by the Durbar and an overhaul of the corrupt colonial administration. Proposals for reforms were twice submitted to the Durbar in 1938 and 1939. They called for abolition of exploitative taxes, reunification of the hills with the valley, establishment of self-rule, installation of a Panchayat system, and the establishment of a unicameral legislature based on suffrage.
Fissures between the royal house and NMM were also prominent; NMM was declared a political party whereby no state government employee could participate in it and Irabot had to resign from the Sadar Court. In the ensuing deliberations, Churachand and the President of the Durbar F. F. Pearson declined the demands of NMM, claiming that Manipur was not "ripe for democracy". Popular resistance continued — the Second Nupi Lan would play a significant role in mobilizing anti-feudal sentiments in the masses.
Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh succeeded Churachand Singh in November 1941. Whilst the political scene was quiet during World War II, after the war, he was subject to a protracted and vigorous resistance from multiple political parties — Irabot's Manipur Krishak Sabha (MKS), Manipur State Congress allied to the Indian National Congress, Manipur Praja Sangha etc. In August 1946, NMM passed a resolution urging the immediate establishment of constitution-drafting machinery. Krishak Sabha and Praja Sangha demanded a "responsible" government in multiple meetings, throughout the year. Finally, on the advice of Cabinet Mission, Bodhchandra Singh consented to the formation of a Constitution Making Committee in December 1946.
Constitution-making
The Constitution-Making Committee had 15 members: five members were selected from a consultation with "educated men" of the Hills, five members were elected from the Valley, two members were nominated by the Maharaja and the Chairman of the Chief Court, and the remaining three members were nominated by the Durbar. Overall, the committee was dominated by Congress men and their sympathizers. The president of the Durbar, F. F. Pearson, became the chairman. Krishak Sabha as well as Praja Sangha had criticized the composition of the Committee as undemocratic and boycotted the elections to the Committee. The representatives of the hills proposed the right of secession after a period of five years, which were rejected by the remaining members.
The Committee was formally inaugurated on 3 March 1947. On, 10 March, the Maharajah addressed it in a public ceremony. The first meeting was held on 24 March, and, on 29 March, broad resolutions were adopted on the central features of the would-be constitution. A constitution-drafting committee was formed under the chairmanship of Ibunghohal Singh, and a hill local self-government regulation sub-committee was formed under the chairmanship of Pearson. The final version of the constitution was passed by the Committee in May 1947. The draft was soon vetted by the Durbar and on receiving Maharaja's consent, was enacted as the Manipur State Constitution Act 1947 on 27 July 1947. The report submitted by the hill local self-government regulation sub-committee was passed as the Manipur Hill State Regulations 1947.
Implementation
In July 1947, the Maharaja replaced the Manipur State Darbar by a Manipur State Council, whose members were to be "ministers", and appointed F. F. Pearson as the Chief Minister. On 14 August, Pearson was replaced by M. K. Priyobrata Singh, the brother of the Maharaja. These moves were seen as an attempt by the Maharaja to take power into his own hands.
A Franchise Sub-committee was created on 14 October 1947. Under the Manipur State Election Rules, 1948, elections were to be held for 53 seats in the Assembly:
- 30 general constituencies in the Valley. Moirang was made a special constituency, which could elect two candidates, one from the Valley and one from the Hills.
- 3 reserved constituencies in the Valley, Lilong, Mayang Imphal and Yairipok, which were reserved for Meitei Pangals (Muslims).
- 18 hill constituencies where only hill people could contest the election.
- 2 special constituenceis: educational constituency and commercial & industrial constituency.
Election to the Manipur State Assembly was held between 11 June and 27 July 1948. It produced a hung assembly with no single party carrying the majority. Manipur State Congress won 14 seats, a new party called Praja Shanti Party, suspected to have been floated by the Maharaja, won 6 seats, and the hill representatives regarded as "independents" won 18 seats. The Praja Shanti Party formed the government in alliance with the hill representatives. Maharaja's brother Priyobrata Singh continued as the Chief Minister.