Shillong,Sept 30: The state government has issued a gazette notification on the amendment of GHADC rules prohibiting participation of non-tribals in the council polls.
The notification was issued on Wednesday (Sept 30).
This is a historic moment for GHADC as in the past the non-tribals were allowed to vote and contest the polls.
Text of gazette notification below
NOTIFICATION
The 29th September, 2026.
l”n exercise of the powers conferred by sub-paragraph (7) read with sub-paragraph (6), and in particular
clauses (c) and (f) of sub-paragraph (6), of paragraph 2 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India,
and in accordance with the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils)
Rules, 1951, the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of
India hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts
(Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, in their application to the Garo Hills Autonomous District,
namely:—
1. Short title, extent and commencement . (1) These rules may be called the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) (Garo Hills Autonomous District Second
Amendment) Rules, 2026.
(2) They shall extend to the whole of the Garo Hills Autonomous District.
(3) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions. — In these rules, “the principal rules” means the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous
Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, as in force in the Garo Hills Autonomous District;
and all other words and expressions used herein and not defined shall have the meanings respectively
assigned to them in the principal rules.
3. Amendment of rule 128. — In rule 128 of the principal rules, —
(a) in sub-rule (1), after clause (a), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
“(aa) a member of a Scheduled Tribe specified in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as
amended from time to time, in relation to the State of Meghalaya;”;
(b) in sub-rule (1), in clause (b), for the words “not below the age of twenty-one on the qualifying
date”, the words “not below the age of eighteen years on the qualifying date” shall be substituted;
(c) in sub-rule (1), the proviso shall be omitted.
4. Amendment of rule 129. — ln rule 129 of the principal rules, —
(a) for sub-rule (2), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: —
“(2) Subject to the provisions of rule 128, there shall be a separate electoral roll for every constituency
comprised within the Garo Hills Autonomous District for the purpose of elections to the Garo Hills
Autonomous District Council, and such roll shall be prepared, constituency-wise, by the Returning Officer with reference to the qualifications specified in rule 128, and shall thereafter be revised, corrected and finally published in the manner provided by sub-rules (3) and (4); and no person shall be
entitled to vote at any such election unless his name is for the time being registered in the electoral
roll of the constituency concerned.”.
Under Secretary to the Govt. of Meghalaya, District Council Affairs Shillong.
