BREAKING NEWS:
The Guwahati High Court today stayed the controversial higher and technical education rules, titled Mizoram (Selection
of Candidates for Higher Technical Courses) (Sixth Amendment) Rules, 2015,
which was notified on 24 March this year amidst high drama. The 1999 principal Rules was amended
after the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (Mizo Students body) protested against the selection
of 38 Chakma students under Category I along with Mizo students for study of medical
and engineering courses in colleges across the country under Mizoram quota.
The controversial 2015 Rules changed the definition of Category I to
include only “indigenous” Zo people. Chakmas are placed under Category II which
is for non-Zo. The Chakmas vehemently protested against this discrimination on
the basis of race.
The Mizoram Chakma Students Union filed a writ petition in
the Guwahati High Court against the Mizoram government’s illegal 2015 Rules and
secured a stay order today.
The Guwahati High Court’s stay order is a significant
development for Mizoram’s beleaguered minorities. In this long battle for rights and
justice, the first round has gone to the Chakma students.
To read the background of this case, please visit, “Mizoram:
creating unequal citizens and conflicts”
