In order to persuade the Hindu and indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities to accept one crematorium or one location for the cremation of the deceased, the High Court of Meghalaya has ordered the district adjudicators, acting through the officials beneath them, to meet with these groups. “We note that the court’s investigation at the time was limited to, among other things, cremation facilities in Meghalaya’s major municipalities,” the court stated in its ruling dated September 22, 2023. According to the court, the cremation practices of the native Khasi and Jaintia tribes are comparable to those of Hindus.
In order to inform the Amicus Curiae of any location within a specific area where a crematorium or ground for the cremation of the deceased is not available within 10 kilometers, the Amicus Curiae was instructed to convene an online meeting with all of the district adjudicators or deputy officers of the state’s 12 sections. Among other things, the DMs will be asked to take over an investigative study through the BDO position and lower officers.
Each district justice or the deputy manager was instructed to indicate the population densities of the area when determining whether the crematorium was located within 10 kilometers of a specific point or location. The DMs have been urged to speak with members of the Hindu, Jaintia, and Khasi groups through their subordinate functionaries in an effort to persuade them to accept a single crematorium. Based on the report of the Amicus Curiae, the court intends to issue additional directives on the PIL. The Amicus Curiae was asked by the court to provide a report by February 28, 2025.
