The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Khasi Inheritance of Property Bill, 2021 proposes equal distribution of parental property among siblings, both male and female. (Representative image)
The proposed legislation in matrilineal Meghalaya to break the age-old tradition of the youngest daughter in the family inheriting the entire share of the parental property has received mixed reactions.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has proposed the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Khasi Inheritance of Property Bill, 2021. The Bill proposes equal distribution of parental property among siblings, both male and female. It would be tabled during the autumn session of the Council on November 8.
While some stakeholders have welcomed the proposal, others have advised caution, reported Hindustan Times.
According to the report, a large part of the population for whom the proposed Bill is intended said that the way it has been announced without proper and adequate consultation looks like a “premature attempt” to woo voters in the 2023 assembly elections.
The hill state of Meghalaya is divided into three autonomous councils - Khasi, Jaintia and Garo. Khasi comprises nearly half of the total population of the state -- 3,366,710, said the report citing Unique Identification Aadhaar India’s May 2020 data.
In the matrilineal Khasi, parents bequeath the parental property to the khatduh, which means the youngest daughter in the Khasi language. She becomes the custodian of the family’s land and assumes the responsibility of taking care of her parents, unmarried or destitute siblings.
Over the years, it has been demanded to amend the inheritance customs so that sons and other daughters can also get an equitable share of the parental property, said the report.
As the change in the custom has been proposed, Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai (SRT) -- a prominent group advocating for a patrilineal system since 1990 – has advised caution about the change.
“It may have a detrimental effect if this law is activated right away as we feel that the majority of the Khasi males will misuse the wealth given to them as they haven’t been taught to be responsible by custom and may not be ready to handle wealth responsibly,” said the report citing SRT Advisor Keith Pariat.
Another civil rights group Mait Shaphrang Movement (MSM) also voiced the similar opinion. Pointing out that the Meghalaya assembly had passed the Meghalaya Succession to Self-Acquired Property (Khasi and Jaintia) Special Provision Act, 1984, its convener Michael Syiem said the group just wants an amendment to this Act to include “ancestral property” and not a new law.
Amid this, KHADC chief executive member Titosstarwell Chyne said the objective of this Bill has been misunderstood. “It is not mandatory that all the children will get an equal share of the parental property. It depends on the will of the parents to decide who will be the genuine heir of the property,” Chyne told the publication.
He further said that nowadays some parents are giving shares in their properties to other siblings as well. “There is no problem if the youngest daughter does not object,” he added.
