The Kohima district administration has announced that children of non-Naga fathers, as well as non-Naga children adopted by Naga parents, are not entitled to scheduled tribe/Backward tribe/Indigenous Inhabitant tribe certificate.
Kohima Deputy Commissioner Shanavas C, IAS said that this is in line to the notification issued by P&AR which has been effective from 2012.
“It’s a very old notification so we just read re-edit it to all the officers so while forwarding the proposals to our office for signature of ST certificate and indigenous certificates. We just have to be careful that children belong to Naga fathers only so P&AR has very much clarified that children of non Naga fathers or adopted children of Naga couples also they are not entitled for the certificates,” said Shanavas.
Shanavas also said that whenever there is a doubt about the authenticity of any certificates of any person, it is forwarded to the concerned area administrative officer and the concern village for verification. We make sure that this guideline is followed strictly then only we issue the certificate, he added.
It is to be mentioned here that in 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that children born out of a marriage between a tribal woman and a non-tribal forward-class man cannot claim the status of the scheduled tribe and seek employment in the government under the reserved category.
