Meghalaya Assembly rejects demand for Non-Creamy Layer Reservation Bill

A voice vote in the Meghalaya Assembly, on August 27 rejected the demand for Meghalaya Reservation for Non-Creamy Layer of Scheduled Tribes (in State Reservation Policy) Bill, 2024, proposed by Adelbert Nongrum, the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) legislator from North Shillong.

After the same was put to vote, Assembly Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira said that the Bill was rejected by the House. He stated, “The No’s have it, the motion is not carried and leave to introduce the Bill is not granted."

Nongrum tabled the statement of object and reasons, stating that the Bill seeks to provide for reservation of non-creamy layer of Scheduled Tribes in the state while implementing the State Reservation Policy.

He further said that the state's definitive empirical data states that the economic condition of a greater percentage of the Scheduled Tribe population of the state is weak and disadvantaged.

“And whereas Articles 16 (4) and 15 (5) of the Constitution of India allows for the state to make provisions so as to ensure that the benefits of reservation reach the most disadvantaged class of citizens,” he added.

He also said that the validity of sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories has been upheld by a seven-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in a 6:1 majority, further stressing the need for a suitable legislation in the interest of uplifting the disadvantaged people of the state.