SHILLONG, FEB 22: Two Shillong High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) members Arnold G Momin and Malthyus D Sangma have petition submitted recently to Governor and Chief Minister to introduce an amendment in the Garo Hills District Autonomous District Council (GHADC) rules to ensure that the voting rights are exclusively for the tribal people.
“The Constitution of Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, should be amended by inserting a provision in which the people belonging to the Garo Scheduled Tribe only could decide their course of action through the District Council,” the two said in the petition.
The petition said, “We hope that your good self would consider the concern of the masses for the protection of the distinct cultural identify, custom and tradition of the Garo scheduled tribe by adopting necessary measures at the earliest.”
According to the two petitioners, as far as the distinct cultural identity, custom and traditions of Garo scheduled tribe is concerned, it can be duly protected only by those representatives who are part of the Garo scheduled tribe and not by those who are not part of Garo scheduled tribe.
Stating that KHADC and JHADC have ensured that the council is constituted by those representatives who are the members of Khasi and Jaintia tribes, the two, however, said in the petition, “But unfortunately, the GHADC is run by the council which includes those members who neither belong to the Garo ST nor are elected by the tribal themselves.”
“This has thereby creating a situation which goes against the very spirit of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India,” they added.- By Our Reporter
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