Meghalaya: Former MP HC judge appointed as chairman of Expert Committee on State Reservation Policy

In a bid to review Meghalaya reservation policy, the state government on August 25, appointed former Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court Justice (Retired) Mool Chand Garg as chairman of the expert committee. 

The decision was taken during a Cabinet held under the chairmanship of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma where the names of the five members of the expert committee were also approved. 

Former Judge of Allahabad High Court Justice (Retired) Dr Satish Chandra was also appointed as an expert member in Constitutional law. Chandra is also the former president of the Custom, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal.

The other three expert members are Prof DV Kumar from the Department of Sociology, NEHU, Shillong as expert member in Sociology, Prof Chander Shekhar from the Department of Fertility and Social Demography, Indian Institute of Population Sciences (deemed to be University), Mumbai as an expert member in population studies and Prof Subhadip Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Policy in IIM, Shillong as an expert member in Economics.

Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the terms of reference of the expert committee will be to study the current reservation policy and recommend modifications, if necessary and to undertake wide-ranging consultations with all stakeholders and visit various locations of the state to solicit the views of all stakeholders. 

''The expert committee has been asked to submit its report to the State government within 12 months,'' she added.