Stalemate over High Court ruling on traditional heads
SHILLONG: Demanding suspension of various programmes and initiatives of the Government which require the assistance of the Rangbah Shnong, the HSPDP has given the State Government one week’s time to come up with some kind of solution to address the current stalemate arising out of the High Court ruling on traditional heads.
The HSPDP has also warned the state government of agitation if it fails to resolve the issue within the stipulated time-frame.
The decision to serve deadline to the state government was taken during a meeting between the HSPDP and traditional heads from across the state held here on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the HSPDP vice-president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said that the state government should suspend all those programmes which require headmen’s involvement.
He said that the meeting also decided to pressurize the state government to speed up the approval of the KHADC (Village Administration) Bill, 2014 passed by the KHADC, and demanded replication of the Bill while framing the state law on the powers of traditional heads.
“We are also going to submit a memorandum to the State Government in this connection on Tuesday,” Basaiawmoit said.
The party will hold a public rally at Student’s Field, Jaiaw on Wednesday.
He also informed that some of the Dorbar Shnongs have even decided to have a shutdown in their respective villages during the hours of the public rally.
Mention may be made here that Meghalaya High Court has adjudicated that headmen should confine themselves to social development activities of their locality only and not take the law in their own hands or interfere with the administration.
This has come via a judgment and order passed by Justice SR Sen recently. The judge also observed that headmen “have no power to issue any kind of certificate unless empowered by rule or laws”.
The judgment and order was passed when the judge was adjudicating on a writ petition filed by eight residents of different villages of East Jaintia Hills who wanted their fundamental rights to be protected.
