The Meghalaya High Court has decided to decide the issue of Khasi lineage as expeditiously as possible.
The division bench of Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh today took up the PIL filed by Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai challenging the validity of Khasi Autonomous District (Khasi Customs Lineage) Act 1997 which deprived Scheduled Tribe status to Khasis who adopt the surname of a father.
It may be noted that on July 21, 2020 the Under Secretary, Social Welfare Department wrote to the Deputy Commissioners of East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills directing that the Khasi Lineage Act did not prohibit granting of Scheduled Tribe certificate to persons who adopt the surname of their fathers or non-Khasi wives who adopt the surname of their husbands.
However, on May 21, 2024, the Social Welfare Department through its Joint Secretary wrote to the two Deputy Commissioners informing that the earlier letter had been withdrawn.
As a result of this, the Deputy Commissioners of East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills no longer issued Scheduled Tribe certificates to Khasis adopting their father’s surname or non-Khasi wives adopting their husband’s surname.
Nitu Syngkon, the lawyer for SRT contended that if a person fulfils the eligibility criteria of lineage and blood to qualify as a Khasi under the said Act, which was amended in 2023, it does not matter whether the entitled person uses his/her father’s or husband’s surname and the certificate should not be denied.
He said that the July 2020 letter was correctly written and should have not been withdrawn.
The court has sought a response from the Advocate General and said, “If affidavits are required at a later stage, we shall call for them but in the interest of the Khasi community at large, this issue should be resolved as expeditiously as possible.”
The matter has been listed on August 7, 2025 for further hearing.
