SHILLONG: The Chief Executive Member (CEM) Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), HS Shylla on Tuesday said the KHADC will recall both the KHAD (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) (First and Second Amendment) Bills and the Executive Committee had taken a decision in this regard.
He informed that the First Amendment Bill was passed in 2015 and Second Amendment Bill in 2018.
“In the First Amendment Bill, we found a loophole in which the Bill mentioned the appointment and powers of Rangbah Kur (headman) in the same Lineage Act of 1997,” he said.
He added that although the head of clan should be mentioned in the Lineage Act but the appointment, powers and functions of the rangbah Kur should enacted in another Act for which the EC is preparing for such a Bill.
“We have to pass it as an Executive Order,” Shylla said.
As for the Second Amendment Bill passed recently, he said that contradictory clause in the Second Amendment Bill would be deleted.
“The previous clause will not be there after the insertion of the new clause and the other contradictory clauses will be deleted,” he said.
The KHADC amended Section 3 of the principal Act. After the existing Section 3 (c), a new sub-section 3 (d) has been inserted which states, “Any Khasi woman who marries a non-Khasi as well as her offspring(s) born out of such marriage(s) shall be deemed as non-Khasi who shall lose the Khasi status and all the privileges and benefits as a member of the Khasi tribe who cannot claim preferential privileges under any law.”
According to Shylla, the previous section which states that a every person born of a legal marriage whose mother is/was a Khasi, and the father a non-Khasi, shall be a Khasi of the Kur, jait or clan of the Khasi mother if and only if the person and his/her Khasi mother fulfill certain requirements, no longer stands.
In this connection, a Consultative Committee has been constituted to look into the issues involving the Khasi Lineage Act, 1997.
He downplayed arguments that the Bill was passed in haste as issues of mix marriage, which Shylla terms as a “disease”, was discussed since the year 1925 and before. “Later, leader of CPI also wrote about mix marriage,” he said.
“In other society, it may not affect since they are not matrilineal,” Shylla added.
Shylla said the EC of the KHADC would call a special session to pass the new amendment Bill after the Bill is sent to the Consultative Committee once the Bill comes back to the KHADC.
“On August 16, the KHADC will write to DCA to recall the Bill,” he said.
Asked on the argument of discrimination, he said, “Among the men, we have seen mix marriage is prevalent but we see no such issue on this. We will collect more facts on the arguments of discrimination of the Bill and the EC will discuss on that.”
