Meghalaya Assembly rejects Bill seeking reservation of non-creamy layer of tribals

Shillong: A Bill sought to be tabled by Opposition legislator Adelbert Nongrum pushing for reservation for non-creamy layers of tribals residing in Meghalaya was rejected by a voice vote in the Assembly on Tuesday.

Voice of the People's Party MLA tabled the Meghalaya Reservation for Non-Creamy Layer of Scheduled Tribes (in State Reservation Policy) Bill, 2024 in which the Speaker put the matter to vote in the Assembly.

"The No's have it, the motion is not carried and leave to introduce the Bill is not granted. The Bill is therefore rejected by the House," Assembly Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira said.

Nongrum said the bill seeks to provide for reservation of non-creamy layers of Scheduled Tribes in the state while implementing the State Reservation Policy.

He said that the bill was aimed at identifying the less privileged class among the tribals in line with a seven-judge Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court that has upheld the validity of sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories that also empowered states to create the sub-classifications.