Photo Courtesy: nenow
Aizawl: The Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) outlawed dual membership for its representatives on Friday. The council passed the move during an emergency session held in Kamalanagar. Seventeen members voted for the amendment, one voted against it, and one abstained. Four members stayed away, including Rasik Mohan Chakma of the Mizo National Front.
The CADC (Constitution, Conduct of Business, etc.) (Ninth Amendment) Rules, 2026, forces lawmakers to choose between their council seat and a spot in the Mizoram Legislative Assembly. This change reverts the rules back to the original 2002 standard. It deletes the 2003 amendment that previously permitted politicians to hold both offices at the same time.
This correction follows a July 20 Supreme Court judgment. The high court overturned a prior ruling from the Gauhati High Court that had allowed the dual membership to stand. Rustom Chakma, a social worker from Lawngtlai, fought the case all the way to the top court. The Supreme Court decided that councils should be treated equally under the law. It noted that while the Lai Autonomous District Council kept the ban, the Chakma and Mara councils had not. The court directed both bodies to change their ways. An official stated, "The move follows the Supreme Court’s July 20 judgment, in which the apex court set aside a Gauhati High Court judgment that had upheld the validity of the CADC’s 2003 amendment removing the bar on simultaneous membership of the district council and the state legislature."
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