khasi kingdom and Indian republic 26/04/2019 – Posted in: Daily News

Khasi kingdoms and Indian Republic

For: Preliminary; Mains: GS I
Topics covered: Historical backgrounds, khasi kingdoms, Instrument of Accession, Inner Line Permit

 

News Flash

A federation of 25 Himas or Khasi kingdoms, planned to return to the 1948 agreements that made present-day Meghalaya a part of India.

 

Why it is being done

To safeguard the tribal’s customs and traditions from Central laws in force or could be enacted. For Example: the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

 

Khasi kingdoms Background

The 25 Khasi states had signed the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement with the Dominion of India. The agreement was signed between December 15, 1947 and March 19, 1948. The conditional treaty with these states was signed by Governor General Chakravarty Rajagopalachari on August 17, 1948.

Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam. First one is United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the second is Garo Hills. New state was formed on 21 January 1972. Before attaining full statehood, Meghalaya was given semi-autonomous status in 1970. The Khasi states, though, did not sign the Instrument of Merger unlike most other states in India.

During the British rule, the Khasi domain was divided into the Khasi states and British territories. At that time, the British government had no territorial right on the Khasi states. They had to approach the chiefs of these states if they needed land for any purpose.

After independence, the British territories became part of the Indian dominion but the Khasi states had to sign documents beginning with the Standstill Agreement that provided a few rights to the states.

Though the Constitution has provided self-rule to a considerable extent through tribal councils, there has been an increasing demand for giving more teeth to the Khasi states.

The Instrument of Accession

The Instrument of Accession was an authoritative or legal document initially introduced by the Government of India Act 1935. The instrument was used in 1947 to empower each of the rulers of the princely states under British paramountcy to join one of the new dominions of India or Pakistan created by the Partition of British India.

 

Clause 5

Clause-5 of the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement is another form of Inner Line Permit (ILP), which is very important in the present context. It, states “In matters of legislation concerning subjects of common interest, passed by the Assam legislature, there should be some machinery either by representation in that legislature or otherwise whereby the legislation, where necessary, can be adopted or modified to suit the conditions and circumstances existing in the Khasi Hills.”

 

Inner Line Permit

Inner Line Permit is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.

The inner line permit (ILP) system, required by Indian citizens to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, by the state governments.

There are two kinds of official permits prescribed by Government for entering into any area within Arunachal Pradesh. They are, Inner Line Permit (ILP) and Protected Area Permit (PAP).

 

Earlier, the Federation of Khasi States (FKS) has urged the Meghalaya government to move a resolution in the Assembly demanding from the Centre fulfilment of the treaty terms of the Instrument of Accession (IoA) of August 17, 1948, by including the IoA into Article 370 of the Constitution as a measure to protect the rights of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo people of Meghalaya.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

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