Shillong, Mar 11: Deputy Chief Minister in charge District Council Affairs Prestone Tynsong said the state government cannot be held accountable for the unrest in Garo Hill region and the notification issued by the Executive Committee of the GHADC that mandated production of scheduled tribe certificate by prospective candidates for the polls.
“You cannot blame the government because the district council has its own authority. They have legislative, executive and judicial powers, more or less like the state government,” he told reporters today.
Tynsong said even the High Court order yesterday pointed to the procedural lapses before passing the notification. He said any major decision by the district council must first be approved by the Executive Committee and then placed before the House for discussion and approval then sent to the Governor for assent. “In this case, the process was incomplete and not in accordance with established procedures,” he said.
Tynsong added that the council itself could have convened a special session to deliberate on the issue if it was aware of the public sentiment surrounding the matter.
On February 17, the GHADC notified the ST requirement from a candidate contesting the elections must fulfill.
However, yesterday the Meghalaya High Court quashed and set aside the notification and observed that it bypassed proper legislative procedures. The court noted that the executive committee could only propose rule changes, which must be approved by the District Council and the Governor before taking effect.
