The Supreme Court today asked the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to verify the authenticity of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma's ST status which was challenged by political rivals.
A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, while hearing a PIL challenging the ST status of Sangma, refused to go into the issue and said that the matter be decided by the Commission. It asked the commission to look into the complaint and take a decision within eight weeks.
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by All Northeast Indigenous Garo Law Promoters Association seeking its direction to hold inquiry into the ST status of Sangma and cancellation of the certificate issued to him on June 23, 1982.
The association in its petition alleged that Sangma does not belong to the 'Sangma' clan, and that he had used his surname only to obtain a Scheduled Tribe certificate.
Earlier, Meghalaya High Court on October 7 last year had dismissed a PIL that challenged the authenticity of Sangma's ST status.
Sangma had won the 2013 Assembly elections from Ampatigiri in South West Garo Hills. He had also emerged victorious from the constituency in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008.
