SHILLONG: KHADC chief executive member HS Shylla has said the Centre may go ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill but Meghalaya needs inner line permit (ILP) as there is threat to the indigenous community.
Shylla has also moved the Supreme Court over ILP and other issues like the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (Application of Laws), Regulation, 1952.
“If Indian government wants Citizenship Amendment, let it be so but we need ILP,” he said on Friday.
The senior leader had time and again pointed out that the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, was one of the regulations included in the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (application of Laws), Regulation, 1952, which is in force in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District, had now been adopted in the form of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (The Inner Line) Regulation, 2018.
Shylla also said District Council bills are not within the scope of the state Law Department or the District Council Affairs (DCA) department.
He argued about the importance of having officers to examine the bills passed by elected public representatives in the district council and maintained that bills passed by the district council should be submitted forthwith to the governor.
Shylla and a few officers of the KHADC took up the issue with Governor Tathagata Roy on Friday.
“We have passed the bills as a House constituted by public representatives. However, it is being examined by officers. It has no scope at all. Only the High Court and the Supreme Court have the scope to examine the bills,” he told reporters.
The delegation informed the governor that in paragraphs 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and the AD rules state the Bills passed by the KHADC should be submitted forthwith to the governor and not to go through the DCA.
“The governor understood the procedure and agreed in principle that the bills should be forthwith submitted to the governor. The District Council is an autonomous body and we should enjoy the autonomy we get,” he said.
However, the group maintained that it is his internal arrangement if he wants to seek advice from the ministers.
Some of the pending bills passed by the KHADC are that of Clan administration bill, the ILP bill and the amendment of the Khasi Social Custom of marriage Bill.
Shylla informed that the writ petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court and it is entered in the registry of the SC.
