RONGMEI COUNCIL Vs. STATE OF NAGALAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. K. Alin Rongmei, learned counsel for the petitioner and also heard Mr. L. T. Sangtam, learned Additional AG assisted by Mr. Veto V. Zhimomi, learned Government Advocate for the State of Nagaland and Mr. Pfosekho Pfotte, learned counsel for respondent No. 5. None appears for respondent No. 4.

(2.) By filing this writ petition, the petitioner had challenged the part of the Cabinet Decision 25/4/2017 and the State Government notification dtd. 26/4/2017 by which the recognition of Rongmei as one of the Naga tribes in the State of Nagaland vide notification dtd. 4/8/2012 has been withdrawn.

(3.) The petitioner, the Rongmei Council, is represented by its President, Shri. Chink-hiulung Gonmei. The facts projected by the petitioner are that historically, the Rongmei tribe in the then nomenclature of Kabui was already found recognized in 1891 Assam population census. Edward Trite Dalton in his Ethnology of Bengal, groups the Nagas broadly into two divisions- the Eastern and Western, separated by the river Dhansiri. Henry Dament, political Officer, Naga Hills in an official report of 1878-79 mentioned the existence of eighteen tribes, but the census of 1891 recognized the following nine tribes namely, Angami, Ao, Kabui, Kuchcha, Kezhemer, Lotha, Rengma and Sema. Therefore, it is the case of the petitioner that in fact the Rongmei does not need recognition which was already recognized when Naga Hills district was under the administrative control of Assam.