SHILLONG, JUL 6: Citing mounting legal uncertainty over the role of Khasi traditional institutions, the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation has urged all Syiem, Lyngdoh, Sirdar, Wahadadar, Rangbah Shnong and Rangbah Raid to come together for a constitutional conversation on indigenous governance and land rights.
In an open letter issued on Monday, HITO said the repeated disagreements between the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, traditional heads and village authorities have left many communities unclear about the legal foundation of customary institutions.
According to the organization, these are not isolated administrative problems but questions rooted in history that have persisted since the Khasi Hills became part of the Indian Union.
HITO has placed two proposals before the traditional authorities who hold Sanads issued by the KHADC.
The first is a symbolic step — returning those Sanads to the Council until there is clear legal recognition of the powers and jurisdiction of traditional institutions.
The second is to request the KHADC to host a Constitutional Convention within its premises.
That forum, HITO suggested, should bring together traditional leaders, legal experts, historians and civil society to examine and codify how Dorbar Shnong,
Dorbar Raid and Dorbar Hima function, how indigenous land is administered, and what the relationship between the Council and traditional bodies should look like under the Constitution.The organization argued that a lasting framework cannot be built through ad-hoc administrative fixes.
It pointed to the Instrument of Accession, the agreements signed by erstwhile Khasi States, the framing of the Sixth Schedule, and the resolutions of the Khasi National Assembly in the 1940s as chapters that still require independent constitutional and historical review. While the Sixth Schedule was meant to protect tribal self-governance across the Northeast, HITO noted that within Khasi Hills it now coexists with a growing body of KHADC laws that regulate the appointment and functions of traditional authorities.
A review, it said, is needed to ensure those laws align with customary practice.A central concern raised in the letter is representation.
HITO observed that laws affecting customary governance and indigenous land continue to be passed by elected members of the KHADC, while the custodians of those traditions have no formal role in the law-making process.
This gap, the organization said, has led to differing interpretations, recurring disputes and legal ambiguity.
Drawing on Khasi traditions of consultation and consensus through the Dorbar Hima, HITO called for a permanent mechanism that would ensure traditional institutions are consulted before any legislation touching their powers is enacted.
The letter ends with an appeal for unity.
HITO asked traditional authorities to set aside political differences and work to safeguard indigenous land rights, customary governance, the independence of village and raid institutions, and the protections guaranteed under the Sixth Schedule.
It stressed that the initiative is not aimed against the Council, but is intended as an invitation for dialogue, clarity and cooperation.
By Our Reporter
