Guwahati, May 12 -- By NE NOW NEWS

Guwahati: In a significant ruling on the legislative powers of autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule, the Gauhati High Court has struck down anti-defection provisions enacted by the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (now Dima Hasao Autonomous Council), holding that the body lacked constitutional competence to legislate on defection.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury declared Rule 18A of the Constitution of N.C. Hills Autonomous Council (42nd Amendment) Act, 2017 as "ultra vires and unconstitutional", observing that anti-defection laws fall exclusively within the constitutional scheme under the Tenth Schedule.

The court passed the order o...