Demand for 6th Schedule Status for Arunachal Pradesh

✅ Political parties and community-based groups have called for bringing the entire Arunachal Pradesh under the ambit of the Sixth Schedule or Article 371 (A) of the Constitution. 

✅ The call comes after the recent revival of the demand for two autonomous councils. 

✅Currently, Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Bhutan, China and Myanmar, is under the Fifth  

Schedule that does not provide special rights for the indigenous communities unlike the Sixth Schedule. 

✅Fifth and Sixth Schedules were discussed and passed by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. 

✅The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in any state except the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and  

Mizoram. 

✅The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration of the tribal areas and currently includes 10 autonomous district councils in four northeastern States — Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. This special provision is provided under Article 244(2) and Article 275(1) of the Constitution. 

 

✅ Case of Nagaland: 

 

🔸 Nagaland is governed by Article 371 (A), which says that no Act of Parliament shall apply in the State in several areas unless the Nagaland Assembly so decides by a resolution. 

🔸These include administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.