Govt to leave it to the wisdom of the judiciary over PIL against MRSSA: Tynsong

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 15, 2021

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the state government would leave it to the wisdom of the judiciary regarding a PIL filed against the implementation of the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016.

“I don’t have to say anything on that so we leave it to the wisdom of the judiciary. Everybody has the right to file it in the form of a PIL so let the court ultimately examine, interpret and give a final verdict on that,” Tynsong told reporters on Friday.

The PIL, which challenged the “constitutional validity” of the MRSSA, 2016 was filed by six lawyers from the High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association on December 22 and hearing on the matter may come up in February since the court is currently on vacation.

It may be mentioned here that the MRSSA was passed by the then Congress-led state government in 2016, as part of a comprehensive mechanism to check influx and illegal immigration into the state.

As part of implementation of the MRSSA, the state government has recently inaugurated the entry point or a facilitation centre at Umling in Ri Bhoi district to ensure compulsory registration of people from other parts of the country while entering the state.

Asked on the allegation that MRSSA is infringing into the fundamental rights of citizens, Tynsong however said that the state government had passed the MRSSA after doing due diligence and in consultation with the legal team.

“So as far as the government is concerned, I think we have nothing to say on that (infringement of fundamental rights) as I said let the court take a decision on this issue,” he asserted.

“Any legislation in the form of an Act prepared by the government ultimately has to be passed by the house. While preparing any legislation, government has done due diligence and that also in consultation with legal experts,” he stated.

Stating that the facilitation centre or entry point was set up for registration of people from outside the state, the deputy CM however said, “We have created the facilitation centre for our friends coming into our state and it is not that we don’t allow them to come but it is only for the sake of registration because by doing so that there is no intention from the government side to harass or to make people inconvenient.”

Meanwhile, Tynsong informed that apart from operationalizing the entry point at Umling, the state government is all set to construct two more entry points at Bajengdoba in North Garo Hills and Ratacherra in East Jaintia Hills.