Meghalaya HC Order Allows Non-Tribals to Contest GHADC Polls

The Meghalaya High Court has annulled the Executive Committee’s notification from the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), which required candidates to provide a scheduled tribe certificate for the upcoming elections on April 10. The ruling, prompted by a petition from Enamul Haque, allows non-tribal candidates to participate in the elections. Justice Hamarsan Thangkhiew noted that such amendments should have been sanctioned by the GHADC Executive Committee, passed by the Members of the District Council (MDCs), and approved by the Governor as per the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous District (Constitution of Districts Councils) Rules, 1951. The court highlighted that the notification was issued solely by the Executive Committee without the requisite council approval. The decision arrives amid escalating tensions in Garo Hills, where violence erupted resulting in two fatalities and injuries stemming from police actions against protests by non-tribals opposing the certificate requirement for candidates.