Articles, Nagaland, Rongmei

Why Rongmei is Not Recognized in Nagaland


 from Nagaland Page

2 mins ago

Quotes Constitution (Nagaland) Scheduled Tribe Order, 1970

The breakdown of the information provided in the article:

  1. High Court Ruling: The Kohima Bench of the Guwahati High Court has issued a significant ruling.
  2. Scheduled Tribe Recognition: The ruling pertains to the recognition of the Rongmei tribe as a Scheduled Tribe in the state of Nagaland.
  3. Constitution (Nagaland) Scheduled Tribe Order, 1970: According to this order, the power to add, modify, or alter the list of Scheduled Tribes in Nagaland lies exclusively with the Parliament through law, as stipulated in Article 342 of the Constitution of India.
  4. Writ Petition by Rongmei Council: The court’s judgment came as a result of a writ petition filed by the Rongmei Council, Nagaland. The petition challenged the withdrawal of recognition of Rongmei as one of the Naga tribes in Nagaland.
  5. Court’s Verdict: Justice Kardak Ete, in the judgment and order, declared that no authority other than the Parliament has the power to modify or amend the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in the notification issued under Clause (1) of Article 342. This means state governments, courts, tribunals, or any other authority cannot make changes to this list.
  6. Historical Argument: The petitioner, Rongmei Council, argued that historically, the Rongmei tribe was already recognized in the 1891 Assam population census. They referred to official reports, including one by Henry Dament, Political Officer, Naga Hills, from 1878-79, which mentioned the existence of 18 tribes.
  7. Recognition and Withdrawal: The government of Nagaland had recognized the Rongmei community in 2012 as one of the Naga tribes living in Nagaland. However, this recognition was later withdrawn in 2017 through a Cabinet decision.
  8. Criteria for Recognition: The article also mentions that Schedule Tribe and Indigenous Tribe certificates were to be issued only to those members of the Rongmei tribe or their ancestors who were enumerated in the 1963 Electoral Roll of the State and whose names were listed in a report from 2012.
  9. Cabinet Sub-Committee: A Cabinet Sub-Committee was formed to examine the status of the Rongmei community as an indigenous Naga tribe. The Cabinet subsequently decided to withdraw the recognition and grant indigenous status to a specific number of individuals from the Rongmei community.
  10. Government’s Argument: The government’s stance, as presented by LT Sangtam, Additional AG, was that this withdrawal of recognition was done in the public interest and to safeguard the interests of the recognized Naga tribes of Nagaland.
  11. Final Verdict: Justice Kardak Ete’s judgment concluded that the Rongmei tribe is not recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in Nagaland according to the Constitutional Order of 1970. The order specifically lists the recognized tribes in Nagaland, which does not include the Rongmei tribe.
  12. Recognition in Manipur: Interestingly, the judgment notes that the Rongmei community is recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in the State of Manipur through a Presidential Order issued in 2011.
  13. Outcome: As a result of these considerations, the court dismissed the writ petition, confirming that, as per the Constitution (Nagaland) Scheduled Tribe Order, 1970, the Rongmei tribe is not officially recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in Nagaland.

Source: Nagaland Page

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