SHILLONG, June 28: The KHADC will meet legal experts on Friday to prepare a petition which will be submitted to the Law Commission of India opposing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Disclosing this on Wednesday, KHADC CEM Pyniaid Sing Syiem said the meeting with legal experts will be chaired by Deputy CEM PN Syiem.
On June 24, the KHADC had passed a resolution urging the Centre not to implement UCC within the Council’s jurisdiction.
“This House has now resolved to urge Government of India not to implement UCC within the jurisdiction of the KHADC in order to safeguard and protect our interests as provided under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India,” the KHADC CEM said, tabling the resolution during the Council’s ongoing summer session.
He felt UCC will infringe upon the customs, traditions, practices, inheritance, marriage and religious freedom of the indigenous tribes.
Meanwhile, Syiem said there is no official communication so far from the Centre on the proposed extension of the strength of the House. He said it is anticipated that the House will be extended in case the proposed amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution gets Parliament’s nod.
“The House will have to be extended since there will be new constituencies in case the number of seats increases to 40. Therefore, the delimitation exercise for the creation of new constituencies will take time,” Syiem said.
In other related developments, the Council reconstituted the Select Committee pertaining to KHAD (Khasi Inheritance of Property) Bill, 2021 on the final day of the summer session.
The KHADC CEM is the chairman of the reconstituted Select Committee. The members are the Deputy CEM, Leader of Opposition Titosstarwell Chyne, Deputy Chairman Charles Marngar, senior MDCs Martle Mukhim and Ronnie V. Lyngdoh.
Tabling the report of the committee, Syiem said it has not been able to complete the task despite several meetings.
“Therefore, the Select Committee required more time to examine the said Bill,” Syiem said. He said there was a need to reconstitute the Select Committee in view of the changing circumstances.
The Council also passed the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council Service (Amendment) Rules, 2023 and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (Protection and Promotion of Khasi Traditional Medicines) First Amendment Bill 2023.
The Executive Committee (EC) had tabled the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council Service (Amendment) Rules, 2023 to extend the upper age limit for recruitment to various jobs in the Council from 32 years to 37 years.
Syiem said the Council is extending the upper age limit by five years in deference to an order of the state government.
He also said the EC will introduce the KHAD (Protection and Promotion of Khasi Traditional Medicine) (First Amendment) Bill, 2023 by amending Appendix D of the existing bill that relates to issue of certificates to traditional medicinal practitioners.
The amendment seeks to define the personal details of traditional medicinal practitioners in the certificate.
