SHILLONG, March 18: Seven activists based in Meghalaya have sought the intervention of Meghalaya Governor CH Vijayashankar for tightening constitutional safeguards for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), proposing that only Garo Scheduled Tribe members contest council polls and that electoral rolls and land rules be revised to keep control with indigenous residents.
In a memorandum submitted on Tuesday, Greneth M Sangma, Shiva Sangma, Flaming Marak, Emanuel Ch Marak, Cherian Momin, Browny M Marak, and Nilbert Ch Marak argued that the participation of non-tribal persons in elections in Garo Hills, their inclusion on electoral rolls and the potential alienation of tribal land through transfer of pattas threaten the Sixth Schedule framework.
“This legal memorandum is respectfully submitted seeking the kind intervention of your Excellency to protect the constitutional safeguards granted to the indigenous tribal communities of Garo Hills under Article 244(2) and the Sixth Schedule,” they wrote, noting the Governor’s supervisory authority.
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They cited Samatha v. Andhra Pradesh (1997) and Orissa Mining Corporation (2013) for the principle that tribal land and governance rights must be shielded from erosion.
Their proposed safeguards include restricting council candidature to Garo tribals, requiring candidates to be bona fide citizens of Meghalaya or persons born within the state, ordering a Special Intensive Revision of GHADC rolls, deleting non-tribal names where inclusion “undermines the constitutional intent”, barring the transfer of pattas held by non-tribals except by inheritance and prohibiting the sale of tribal land to non-tribals in plains belt areas.
“The Sixth Schedule represents a unique constitutional experiment aimed at protecting the identity, land and governance systems of tribal communities,” the memorandum said.
“Your Excellency’s timely intervention will greatly strengthen the constitutional safeguards protecting the indigenous Garo people and preserve the foundational objectives of the Sixth Schedule.”
The activists requested the Governor to consider the memorandum and take “appropriate constitutional and administrative action.” (NNN)
