The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has approved a social custom bill that will deny a Khasi woman of her ST status and all privileges which come with it if she marries a non-Khasi.
According to the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) (Second amendment) Bill, 2018, that was notified on Tuesday and passed on Wednesday, the woman’s children will also be deemed as non-Khasis.
The KHADC amended Section 3 of the principal act. After the existing Section 3 (c), a new sub-section 3 (d) has been inserted which states, ‘Any Khasi woman who marries a non-Khasi as well as her offspring(s) born out of such marriage(s) shall be deemed as non-Khasi who shall lose the Khasi status and all the privileges and benefits as a member of the Khasi tribe who cannot claim preferential privileges under any law’.
Again, in Section 2 of the principal act after the sub-section (q), a new sub-section (r) has been inserted which states, ‘Non-Khasi means a person not belonging to indigenous Khasi tribe classified as Scheduled Tribe under the Constitution (ST) Order, 1950 (Part III- Rules and Orders under the Constitution) Part XI-Meghalaya’.
The amended bill will apply even if a Khasi woman marries a man from any other tribe and not just non-tribals.