What happened
Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in western Meghalaya approved amendments to its election rules. The amendments bar non-tribals from voting or contesting GHADC elections and provide for a separate electoral roll for GHADC elections under the Sixth Schedule framework. The GHADC approved changes to election rules numbered Rules 128 and 129 that replace the earlier practice of using the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly electoral roll for GHADC elections.
Background and earlier position
The GHADC election-rule dispute in Garo Hills followed violence after authorities issued a notification seeking to bar non-tribals from contesting GHADC elections. The High Court cancelled the notification, and the State of Meghalaya postponed GHADC elections due to the violence. The dispute context therefore involved election eligibility rules, legal intervention by the High Court, and the State’s decision on postponement under conditions of violence.
What changed now
Under the amended GHADC election rules, eligibility for the GHADC electoral roll is restricted to Scheduled Tribes recognized by the Meghalaya government and to other eligibility conditions stated in the amendments. The amendments also shift the electoral-roll approach from using the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly electoral roll to a separate GHADC electoral roll for GHADC elections.
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