Codava National Council Renews Call for Geopolitical Autonomy and Constitutional Recognition

Retired IAS officer, historian, political scientist and Harvard scholar Dr. Sanjeev Chopra attended the event as the Chief Guest.

Madikeri: The Codava National Council (CNC) has renewed its long-standing demand for Codavaland Geopolitical Autonomy and ten other constitutional aspirations, passing a fresh resolution during the 35th Annual Codava National Day and Constitution Day observance. Retired IAS officer, historian, political scientist and Harvard scholar Dr. Sanjeev Chopra attended the event as the Chief Guest.

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The resolution, later submitted to the President of India, the Prime Minister, and the Union Home Minister, reiterates the CNC’s stand that Codavas constitute an indigenous, mono-ethnic and animistic community with ancestral roots in Codavaland historically known as Coorg dating back to antiquity. The organisation stated that the Codavas’ cultural identity, spirituality, and unique customs, including their traditional sacrament gun practices, require constitutional protection similar to the Sikh kirpan.

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According to a release, among its major demands, the CNC has sought recognition of Codava ethnicity under international indigenous rights frameworks, inclusion of the Codava language Codava Thakk in the Eighth Schedule.

The council is also pushing for an autonomous region under Articles 244 and 371, on the lines of existing autonomous councils in the North-East and Ladakh. Additional demands include memorials to historic conflicts, restoration of ancestral properties lost after the 1956 State Reorganisation, and an Inner Line Permit system to prevent demographic changes in Kodagu.

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The CNC in its release alleged that Codavas have faced “marginalisation” and “assimilation pressures” since the merger of the erstwhile Coorg Part-C State with Karnataka, and claimed that successive governments failed to safeguard their rights, cultural institutions, and territorial interests.

Emphasising the spiritual and ecological significance of the River Cauvery, the organisation sought legal personhood for the river and recognition of its origins as a sacred Codava site.

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