SHILLONG: A small tribe in Garo Hills will soon get official recognition thanks to the intervention of the Court.
The High Court of Meghalaya on Thursday directed the State Government to complete the process of forwarding the name of Dalu community to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs within two months for the inclusion of the community in the Scheduled Tribe.
As per the petitioner Ranjita Dalu hailing from West Garo Hills, she is a member of Dalu community, a small tribe of Meghalaya and as such the status as a tribal is recognized by the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.
The petitioner added that though they are tribals, their names were not included in the list of schedule tribe as described in the Constitution (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Order), 1956 as amended upto date and as a result they were not entitled to Scheduled Tribe Certificate and in consequence of which they are deprived of many of the benefits available to the Scheduled Tribes particularly in their right for education, service and some other matters which are enshrined in the Constitution.
After long persuasion, the case of the petitioner’s community was recommended for the purpose of confirmation of the Scheduled Tribe status by Meghalaya Government and it recommended the Central Government for taking appropriate steps.
During the hearing, the State counsel for the Social Welfare department, submitted that initially, the name of Dalu community was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs and then realized that it should be forwarded to the concerned Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the same is under process. “If it is so, I am of the view that there survives nothing to redress further. The Government is directed to complete the process within two months from the date of receipt of this judgment and order,” the Judge SR Sen said.
