Latest news with #GazetteofIndia
News18
01-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
How Just One Word May Push Strife-Torn Manipur To The Edge Once Again
Last Updated: Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has strongly objected to what he calls a 'distorted version' of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972 Can you imagine that just a word has the potential to create a law and order situation? Worse, just an alteration of a word can put a strife-torn state at risk? While it may seem unbelievable, something similar has happened in Manipur, where staggered ethnic violence has been ongoing since May 2023 and the state is currently under President's Rule. WHAT'S THE FUSS? Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has strongly objected to what he calls a 'distorted version" of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972. He alleges that this altered version has caused a rapid and unregulated increase in the number of villages and has resulted in the illegal appointment of village chiefs and headmen in the hill regions of the state. For the uninitiated, the Kukis—one of the ethnic tribes and sides of the Manipur ethnic clashes—live in the hills. Singh shot off a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, urging him to immediately intervene and address this critical discrepancy between the original Gazette of India notification and the version published in the State Assembly's Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. 'There appears to be a serious and potentially deliberate alteration in the text," Singh wrote. Elaborating on the discrepancy, Singh said the Gazette of India notification bears the word 'of" in the clause—'The appointment of succession of Chiefs or Headman"—while the manipulated version printed in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business by the Manipur Legislative Assembly has the word 'or" in the clause—'The appointment or succession of Chief or Headman." Singh insists that this seemingly simple alteration is 'distortion with profound administrative and political implications". By changing the word 'of" to 'or", the meaning of the rule has been expanded, making it possible to allow fresh appointments of chiefs or headmen, instead of just overseeing the traditional system of succession, he insists. Singh alleged, 'This change, whether intentional or inadvertent, has given rise to an environment where new villages can be declared and new village chiefs or headmen can be appointed without the customary legitimacy or legal clarity." What makes it even more serious is Singh's charge that it may open unchecked proliferation of villages, 'many of which may not have existed historically or traditionally". India's Northeast, particularly Manipur, is extremely sensitive to preserve ethnic status quo, particularly when there has been a long and violent conflict that hasn't been solved. Manipur's violent conflict broke out in May 2023 between two major communities—the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the mostly Christian Kuki-Zomi tribal groups. Meiteis mostly live in the Imphal Valley while the Kuki-Zomis live mainly in the hill districts surrounding the valley. The immediate trigger was a protest by tribal groups on May 3, 2023, against a demand by Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The tribals feared this would give Meiteis access to land and benefits meant for hill tribes, kicking off a long cycle of violence in which more than 200 were killed and at least 60,000 displaced. No wonder Singh rushed to the Governor, urging him for an independent inquiry to find out how and when this wording was altered and who is responsible for it. First Published: July 01, 2025, 12:15 IST
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Rules published by assembly on hill area governance manipulated, alleges ex-Manipur CM Biren Singh
Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh alleged that a 'manipulated' version of the rules on hill area governance, published by the Manipur Assembly, has created an environment for the establishment of new villages and appointment of village chiefs without proper legal or traditional authority. He claimed that this change has opened doors for a "rapid and unchecked" increase in the number of villages, many of which might not have existed in the past. In a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday (June 25, 2025), Mr. Singh claimed that a key discrepancy exists between the original notification published in the Gazette of India and the version adopted in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) 1972. 'There appears to be a serious and potentially deliberate alteration in the text of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972, as published in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business,' Mr. Singh alleged. He also claimed, 'The original order, passed by the Parliament of India, was published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary. However, a careful comparison between the original gazette notification and the manipulated version published by the state assembly reveals a crucial discrepancy, potentially leading to significant implications for governance in Manipur's hill areas.' The former CM also alleged that the "manipulated version" in the Manipur assembly-published rules on governance in the hill areas has given rise to an "environment where new villages can be declared and new village chiefs or a headmen can be appointed without customary legitimacy or legal clarity" and has opened "the door for a rapid and unchecked proliferation of villages, many of which may not have existed historically or traditionally". Explaining the discrepancy, Mr. Singh claimed that the Gazette of India notification has the word "of" in the clause - the appointment of succession of chief or headman - while in the version published in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business by the Manipur Assembly, the same clause appears as 'the appointment or succession of chief or headman'. This "distorted" clause leads to administrative and political implications, Mr. Singh claimed. 'This seemingly minor linguistic alteration constitutes a significant distortion with profound administrative and political implications. By substituting the word 'of' with 'or', the scope of the provision is broadened to potentially allow new appointments of chiefs or headmen, rather than merely governing traditional succession practices,' he wrote in the letter. Mr. Singh asked the Governor to take immediate steps to look into the issue and also requested for an independent investigation to find out how and when the wording in the assembly version was altered and under whose authority. "It is equally important to conduct a comprehensive audit to ascertain how many villages have been declared after this adoption and how many new chiefs and headmen have been appointed under this modified provision," Mr. Singh said. Several civil society organisations have demanded the scrapping of the chieftainship system in the hill areas to end the rule of village chiefs. The State in 1967 had passed a law to abolish hereditary chieftainship, and the then President had also given assent to the bill the same year. However, the Act was never enforced, according to the civil society organisations.
NDTV
25-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Did Change Of Word Alter Manipur's Future? Row Over Gazette vs Assembly "Discrepancy"
Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi: Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has pointed out a discrepancy between a notification published in the Gazette of India and the state assembly's published rules on governance in Manipur's hill areas. In a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday, Mr Singh said the discrepancy - which he called "manipulated version" - has significant implications for the state. "There appears to be a serious and potentially deliberate alteration in the text of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972, as published in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. The original order, passed by the Parliament of India, was published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary. However, a careful comparison between the original Gazette notification and the manipulated version published by the State Assembly reveals a crucial discrepancy, potentially leading to significant implications for governance in Manipur's hill areas," the former chief minister said in the letter. The discrepancy, Mr Singh pointed out, is in the difference between the wordings - "the appointment of succession of Chiefs or Headman", and, "the appointment or succession of Chief or Headman." Mr Singh said the Gazette of India notification has the word "of", while the "manipulated version" published in the Manipur assembly rules has the word "or" - which significantly distorted the clause, leading to "profound administrative and political implications". "This seemingly minor linguistic alteration constitutes a significant distortion with profound administrative and political implications. By substituting the word 'of' with 'or', the scope of the provision is broadened to potentially allow new appointments of chiefs or headmen, rather than merely governing traditional succession practices," Mr Singh said. This change, whether intentional or inadvertent, has given rise to an environment where new villages can be declared and new village chiefs or a headman can be appointed without customary legitimacy or legal clarity, Mr Singh said in the letter to the Governor. "It has in effect opened the door for a rapid and unchecked proliferation of villages, many of which may not have existed historically or traditionally. The consequences of such a shift are already being felt on the ground, where questions surrounding land ownership, ethnic settlement patterns, and village recognition are becoming increasingly complex and contested," the former chief minister said. He asked the Governor to take immediate steps to look into this issue, and also requested for an independent investigation to find out how and when the wording in the assembly version was altered and under whose authority. "It is equally important to conduct a comprehensive audit to ascertain how many villages have been declared after this adoption and how many new chiefs and headmen have been appointed under this modified provision," Mr Singh said. CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY MANIPUR RUNS DEEP: ASSEMBLY CLAUSE ALTERED TO ALLOW ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW VILLAGES I have written to the Hon'ble Governor of Manipur to draw attention to a serious issue. There seems to be a disturbing alteration between the original Gazette of India and the... — N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) June 25, 2025 Manipur has been looking to scrap the chieftainship system to end the rule of village chiefs, who are the sole leaders of settlements and own entire villages, and pave the way for setting up a democratic way of rural governance. The state in 1967 already passed a law to abolish hereditary chieftainship, and the then President had also given assent to the bill the same year. What remained to be done was to operationalise the law with a notification mentioning the names of villages and other key details. However, since the Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chiefs' Rights) Act, 1967 has not been enforced till date, chieftains continued with their rights and set up villages as per their hereditary practices. After the British left, India passed the Zamindari Abolition Act, 1951, and ended the zamindari system, but in Manipur the Kuki tribes still practice it in the form of chieftainship. Even neighbouring Mizoram, where the tribes share ethnic ties with the Kuki and Chin people, had scrapped chieftainship. "Manipur is the only state in the northeast where this Act isn't implemented. Even a state like Mizoram had implemented a similar act for abolishing chieftainship way back in 1954 when it was a part of Assam. (The) need of the hour is to implement this Act at the earliest date, which we are hopeful now," Manipur BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh said in March 2024. There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes have killed over 260 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.
Hindustan Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Rajnath Singh authorises CDS to issue joint orders for armed forces
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday authorised the chief of defence staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, who also heads the department of military affairs, to issue 'joint instructions and joint orders' for the three services, a step aimed at boosting jointness in the armed forces. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and CDS General Anil Chauhan. (File Photo) 'This marks a shift from the earlier system wherein instructions/orders pertaining to two or more services were issued by each service separately,' the defence ministry said, calling it a major step towards modernisation and transformation of the country's military. The move comes weeks after India notified new rules under an overarching law to boost jointness, command efficiency and operational synergy in the armed forces at a critical moment when they are charting a path towards theaterisation --- a long-awaited reform for the best use of the military's resources to fight future wars. The two developments come in the aftermath of the May 7-10 clash with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor that saw the three services work jointly for best battle outcomes. The first joint order on 'Approval, Promulgation and Numbering of Joint Instructions and Joint Orders' issued on Tuesday 'emphasises the need to streamline procedures, eliminate redundancies and enhance cross-service cooperation,' the ministry said in a statement. 'This initiative lays the foundation for improved transparency, coordination and administrative efficiency in the three services.' Earlier, the government notified the rules under the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Act, 2023 in the Gazette of India on May 27, signalling its intent to fast-track the setting up of joint services commands --- a key goal of the ongoing theaterisation drive. Such commands will consist of military elements, assets, and personnel drawn from the three services and placed under a commander-in-chief. Jointness among the three services is an essential prerequisite to the creation of theatre commands and was in focus during Operation Sindoor --- New Delhi's direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. It led to a four-day confrontation that showcased the Indian military's synergy. The move came a year after the Act was notified in the gazette, empowering the government to set up Inter-Services Organisations --- including joint services commands --- and bestowing powers on the heads of such organisations to exercise command and control over the tri-services personnel serving under them to ensure discipline and effective discharge of duties. Such personnel were earlier governed by the respective laws of the three services: the Army Act, 1950, the Air Force Act, 1950, and the Navy Act, 1957. The setting up of theatre commands for integrated application of force, operational efficiency, and optimal resource utilisation is among the nine areas identified by the defence ministry for focused intervention in 2025, which the ministry has declared as the 'year of reforms.' Other areas include building indigenous capabilities to strengthen the armed forces, simplifying acquisition procedures for swifter capability development and new domains such as cyber and space. The theaterisation model being pursued involves raising the China-centric northern theatre command in Lucknow, the Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and the maritime theatre command in Thiruvananthapuram. The earlier legal framework of the armed forces had its limitations when it came to tri-services matters as officers of one service lacked the authority to exercise disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel belonging to another service. For instance, a three-star general heading a joint command could not act against air force or navy personnel serving under him. The lack of such powers had a direct impact on command, control and discipline, as earlier reported by HT.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nabha village cries foul over land transfer to waqf board, says meant for farming
PATIALA: A controversy has erupted in Boran Khurd village of Patiala's Nabha sub-division after the transfer of 37 acres of village panchayat land to the Punjab Waqf Board, with villagers claiming that the land was transferred without the mandatory consent of the local panchayat. Boran Khurd village, which comprises around 60% Dalit population, is now left with just 15 acres of common village land for farming. According to officials in the revenue department, the land in question was originally registered under the waqf board, though it remained under the panchayat's control for decades. The present transfer, they say, is part of a nationwide drive - in compliance with central govt directions - to identify and correctly record waqf properties in official records and online portals. Residents of Boran Khurd said the land was always managed by the panchayat. Sarpanch Baljit Kaur said generations of villagers could testify to the land being auctioned annually by the rural development department. "Even the water supply department constructed a building on an acre of this land," she added. Panchayat member Mohan Singh cited historical records, stating that in 1977, the panchayat allotted four-marla residential plots to landless families from two acres of the same land. "All documents are available in the Chandigarh office," he said. The issue surfaced when the revenue department refused permission this year to the village panchayat to auction 323 kanals of land (around 37 acres) by saying that it belonged to the waqf board. The panchayat reviewed old records and found a similar attempt to transfer the land in 1994, which was eventually nullified. Contradicting these claims, local revenue official Jagdish Bawa, who is a patwari, said the land legally belonged to the waqf board, as per the 1971 Gazette of India. He clarified that the disputed land included the site of the water supply department's building, but the plots allocated in 1977 were from separate panchayat land. He acknowledged that the 1994 transfer was indeed rejected, though he said he was unaware of the reasons behind that decision. "The panchayat has every right to file an appeal with the sub-divisional magistrate," he added. Villagers started finding ways to challenge the transfer. They have staged protests against the Punjab govt, accusing it of undermining local governance and transparency. Sources reveal that similar ownership changes in favour of the waqf board are taking place in other villages of Nabha, including Faizgarh, Saholi, and Ramgarh, intensifying the debate around land records and community rights. "We will fight a legal battle against this and if need arises we will also hold protests," said panchayat member Mohan Singh.
