No decision yet to change notification on extending CrPC and CPC across Meghalaya: Lahkmen Rymbui

Meghalaya government has not taken any decision to change the notification on extending the CrPC and CPC to the courts in Meghalaya, said the Minister-in-charge of District Council Affairs Lahkmen Rymbui.

“The Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had called for a series of meetings to discuss the matter following opposition from the autonomous district councils (ADCs)”, said Rymbui.

“Let us see when they give a written complaint to the CM, he will call a meeting but whether we review or not that is a different issue altogether,” he said.

On the KHADC decision to continue opposing the notification as it fails to exempt the district council courts despite the government’s assurance that the same will not dilute their powers, Rymbui said, “I don’t have to add more to that explanation as the government had taken a decision. The cabinet had already taken a decision and the notification has come out so it is not for me to see how the notification could be changed. If anything only the CM himself can look within the parameters of the system.”

He however said, “From information, I have gathered during the series of meetings held that para 4 of the Sixth Schedule is exclusively for the district council to try the cases and para 5 related to the power conferred by the governor.”

Rymbui said that issue has come up as there is a need to give power to the district session judge following the separation of the judiciary from the executive.

“The government had held a series of meetings and finally they had taken this decision and if KHADC is not happy, let's see what our CM says,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DCA minister maintained that law and order is an exclusive jurisdiction of the government, and CrPC is already extended to the deputy commissioner to invoke 144 CrPC whenever there is a law and order situation in the state.