ACHIK threatens statewide protest if Govt fails to appoint new MPSC chairman from Garo category

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 20, 2025

The A’chik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima (ACHIK) has threatened to organize a statewide protest if the state government does not heed its demand that the appointment of the next chairman of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) should be from Garo category.

In a letter to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, ACHIK said, “We therefore strongly demand that the next Chairman of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission be appointed from the Garo category, in accordance with the rotational principle and in restoration of the rightful balance. Any deviation will be viewed as a calculated attack on the rights, dignity, and representation of the Garo community.”

“If this demand is ignored, we will be compelled to take statewide protest actions and explore legal recourse, in defense of the constitutional values of justice, equality, and fair representation for all indigenous communities of Meghalaya,” it warned.

The ACHIK has alleged that the government is proposing to appoint yet again a chairman of the MPSC from the Khasi-Jaintia category despite the outgoing Chairman also belonging to the same group.

Stating that the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy, 1972, treats the Khasi-Jaintia (including Synteng) and the Garos as two distinct groups, with 40% reservation each, it said in keeping with this principle of parity, the appointment of members and particularly the Chairman of the MPSC has traditionally followed a rotational practice between these two constitutionally recognized indigenous groups.

However, since the inception of the MPSC, Chairmanship has been held 9 times by individuals from the Khasi-Jaintia group, and only 7 times only by individuals from the Garo community, the ACHIK said adding this pattern clearly reflects an emerging disparity, and the current move to once again appoint a Chairman from the Khasi-Jaintia category, immediately after one from the same group, would further deepen this imbalance and violate the principle of equity.

“We firmly reject the argument being advanced by some officials in the ruling party that the rotation should be Khasi-Jaintia-Garo. The reservation policy itself treats Khasi and Jaintia as a single category, and thus such reinterpretation is not only baseless but a deliberate misrepresentation intended to justify this unjust move. It is reminiscent of how the unfortunate demolition of the revered World War-I Cenotaph was masked as “renovation.” The people of Meghalaya are not blind to such political manoeuvres,” it stated in the letter.

Further, the ACHIK also referred to the April 5, 2022 order passed by High Court of Meghalaya, which clearly emphasized the need for a transparent and consistent roster system to implement the reservation policy effectively. It said that the Court unequivocally stated that the absence of a roster allows for “nepotism, arbitrariness, and worse forms of subversions,” and consequently stayed all government recruitment until such a roster was introduced. The Court further directed that any future appointment must be based on identification of vacant slots and proper representation, in line with the reservation structure.

“In this context, appointing yet another Chairman from the same category would violate both the letter and the spirit of the Reservation Policy and the High Court’s directives. It would send a clear message that Garo representation is being deliberately sidelined for political convenience and short-term gain,” the organization stated.