SURAJ NAIDING AND 3 ORS. vs THE N. C. HILLS AUTONOMOUS COUNCIL AND 5 ORS Advocate - GA, ASSAM, ,SC, NCHAC — WP(C)/20/2025

Case under Constitution of India Section 226. Disposed: Contested--Disposed Of on 07th May 2026.

Case disposed

CNR: GAHC010000092025

Filing Number

WP(C)/6/2025

Filing Date

03-Jan-2025

Registration No

WP(C)/20/2025

Registration Date

04-Jan-2025

Judge

Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

Coram

Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

Bench Type

Division Bench

Category

10189 - Other Civil Rules relating to other Writ Petitions. ( 247 )

Judicial Branch

Writ Section

Decision Date

07-May-2026

Nature of Disposal

Contested--Disposed Of

Last updated 09-Jun-2026

Acts & Sections

Constitution of India Section 226

Petitioner(s)

  1. 1.SURAJ NAIDING AND 3 ORS.

    Adv. MR B D DAS,MRS R DEKA,MRS R DEKA, ,MR J LOTHA,MR. H R DAS,MRS R DEKA

  2. 2.BIMONTA THAOSEN

  3. 3.DHIRONJOY NAIDING

  4. 4.AMON THAOSEN

Respondent(s)

  1. 1.THE N. C. HILLS AUTONOMOUS COUNCIL AND 5 ORS Advocate - GA (Government Advocate), ASSAM, ,SC, NCHAC

  2. 2.THE STATE OF ASSAM

  3. 3.THE HONBLE GOVERNOR

  4. 4.THE CHAIRMAN

  5. 5.THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE MEMBER

  6. 6.THE COMMISSIONER AND SECRETARY

Case History

  1. Case disposedDisposed

  2. 07-May-2026

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev ChoudhuryView PDF

    Case Summary: WP(C)/20/2025 – Gauhati High Court The Gauhati High Court invalidated Rule 18A of the N.C. Hills Autonomous Council's 42nd Amendment Act, 2017, which imposed anti-defection disqualification rules on council members. The court held that the Autonomous Council lacks legislative competence to enact such provisions, as anti-defection matters fall exclusively within Parliament's domain under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The Sixth Schedule grants limited enumerated powers to Autonomous Councils, which cannot be extended through doctrines like "pith and substance" to areas outside their express authority. The court emphasized that anti-defection is substantive constitutional law—not merely procedural—and already governed by centralized constitutional provisions, precluding parallel legislation by subordinate bodies. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.

  3. 07-May-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

  4. 21-Apr-2026

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev ChoudhuryView PDF

  5. 21-Apr-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

  6. 17-Mar-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana , Honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund

  7. 12-Mar-2026

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana,honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan KhaundView PDF

  8. 12-Mar-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana , Honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund

  9. 02-Mar-2026

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana,honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan KhaundView PDF

  10. 02-Mar-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana , Honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund

  11. 17-Feb-2026

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana,honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan KhaundView PDF

  12. 17-Feb-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

  13. 27-Jan-2026

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev ChoudhuryView PDF

  14. 27-Jan-2026

    Hearing

    Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

  15. 13-Nov-2025

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev ChoudhuryView PDF

  16. 13-Nov-2025

    Hearing

    Honourable The Chief Justice , Honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury

  17. 16-Oct-2025

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice Arun Dev ChoudhuryView PDF

  18. 23-Apr-2025

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice N. Unni Krishnan NairView PDF

  19. 19-Mar-2025

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice N. Unni Krishnan NairView PDF

  20. 07-Feb-2025

    Honourable The Chief Justice,honourable Mr. Justice Suman ShyamView PDF

  21. 07-Feb-2025

    First hearing

    Initial hearing scheduled

  22. 08-Jan-2025

    Honourable Mr. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana,honourable Mrs. Justice Susmita Phukan KhaundView PDF

  23. 03-Jan-2025

    Case filed

    Registration No. WP(C)/20/2025

casestatus.in Summary

Case Summary: WP(C)/20/2025 – Gauhati High Court The Gauhati High Court invalidated Rule 18A of the N.C. Hills Autonomous Council's 42nd Amendment Act, 2017, which imposed anti-defection disqualification rules on council members. The court held that the Autonomous Council lacks legislative competence to enact such provisions, as anti-defection matters fall exclusively within Parliament's domain under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The Sixth Schedule grants limited enumerated powers to Autonomous Councils, which cannot be extended through doctrines like "pith and substance" to areas outside their express authority. The court emphasized that anti-defection is substantive constitutional law—not merely procedural—and already governed by centralized constitutional provisions, precluding parallel legislation by subordinate bodies. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.

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