CAA not to be implemented in tribal autonomous council areas of NE region

Even as the several organizations in Northeastern region including All Assam Students Union (AASU) and North East Students Organization are agitating against the Citizenship (Amendment Act) (CAA), legal and constitutional experts said that the law would not be enforced in the areas of tribal autonomous district councils, created under the 6th Schedule and Inner Line Permit (ILP) enforced areas.

A legal expert quoting the provisions of new act said that according to the CAA, it would not be promulgated in the ten tribal autonomous district councils (ADCs) of Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.

“Besides the ADCs, several states in northeast have special protections under various sections of the article 371 of the Indian Constitutions,” he told.

There are three tribal autonomous district councils each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram while Tripura has one such tribal autonomous body and all the ten autonomous bodies were constituted under the 6th schedule of the Constitution.     

These ten tribal ADCs facilitate the socio-economic development of tribals, who make up 28 per cent of the northeastern region’s total population of around 45.58 million.

The ILP, under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, has been in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and in Manipur to allow an Indian citizen into the ILP enforced areas for a stipulated period with the written permission of the state and the competent authority.

The main aim of the ILP system is to check the settlement of other Indian nationals in these states to protect the native population.

Protection is also extended to the indigenous people with regard to land, jobs and other facilities.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday said that the CAA will not have any impact in the mountainous state since the sixth schedule areas have been exempted from its purview.

Only some areas of Meghalaya are outside the three ADCs -- Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council and Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.  

The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who came to India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after facing religious persecution.