Kodava land: Karnataka High Court directs state Govt to file their response

The Writ Petition( Public Interest Litigation) filed by Mr Swamy before the High Court seeks the establishment of a commission to examine geo-political autonomy and internal political determination rights for Kodava tribe. Photo: Special Arrangement.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on 29 November(Wednesday) heard submissions on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy seeking the establishment of a commission to examine geo-political autonomy and internal political determination rights for Kodava tribe.

“Kieran Narayan, Advocate and Associate, appearing on behalf of Mr Swamy made submissions before the Court. The court was pleased to accept an affidavit from the Union of India, one of the respondents in the matter and posted the matter for hearing on 25 January, 2024. The High Court has importantly directed the Government of Karnataka, another respondent in the matter, to file their response within three weeks from today(29 November),” Codava National Council (CNC) President Nandineravanda U Nachappa told The Kodagu Express.

The Writ Petition( Public Interest Litigation) filed by Mr Swamy before the High Court seeks the establishment of a commission to examine geo-political autonomy and internal political determination rights for Kodava tribe under the Constitution of India. Mr Swamy, in his PIL said that he is espousing the cause of the CNC, a socio-political and ethno-cultural organisation which is demanding geo-political autonomy for Kodava tribe from the past three decades.

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It has been stated in the petition that the significance aspiration of the CNC is to carve out “Codavaland with geo-political autonomy the Article 244(A) read with 6th and 8th Schedule of the Constitution with right to internal self-determination power; to include miniscule micro Kodava denomination/race in the ST list as per the re-difined category; and to protect the racial sacrament gun rights of the Kodavas under the Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution.”

Mr. Swamy pointed in his petition that the 6th Schedule of the Constitution permits the establishment of autonomous administrative divisions within States. He noted that the majority of autonomous district councils are situated in the North East States, including 10 in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, along with two in Ladakh and one in West Bengal.

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