Gauhati HC Issues Notice To Centre, Arunachal Pradesh Govt On Plea Claiming Denial Of Scheduled Tribe Benefits To Yobin Community

The Gauhati High Court (Itanagar bench) on Monday (May 5) issued notice to Central and Arunachal Pradesh Governments on a PIL claiming that people belonging to the state's YOBIN tribe community are not getting the benefits that are provided to the other Scheduled Tribe Communities.

It was contended by the petitioner that YOBIN Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh have their own culture, traditions, customary laws and costumes different from other tribes of the State of Arunachal Pradesh. It was highlighted that the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 includes all tribes including 16 named in it at Paragraph-XVIII that relates to Arunachal Pradesh.

It was submitted that though people belonging to YOBIN Scheduled Tribe Community of Arunachal Pradesh are getting Scheduled Tribe certificate issued by the authorities concerned as provided under the law, but people from the said community are not getting the benefits that are provided by the respondents to the other Scheduled Tribe Communities.

A division bench of Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury perused the report dated August 25, 2014 of the 60^th Committee of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes wherein the State Government was directed that if it continues to have doubts in respect of the indigenous communities including the YOBIN Community, it may obtain clarification from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and no amendment of the Presidential Order is accordingly required to be given in its provisions which are also not in conflict with the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of State of Maharashtra v. Milind.

“As it is contended by the petitioner in person that people belonging to the YOBIN Community of the State of Arunachal Pradesh including the students of the said community are not getting the benefits being a Scheduled Tribe Community of Arunachal Pradesh, both the respondent Nos. 1 to 3 as well as the respondents in the Union of India, respondent Nos. 4 to 6 shall clarify their stand by filing their respective affidavits in the matter on or before 09.06.2025, serving copies of the same on the petitioner,” the Court said.

Thus, the Court issued notice to Union of India, State of Arunachal Pradesh, and the National Commission for Schedule Tribes.

Case Title: Phuyosa Yobin v. The State of AP and 5 Ors.

Case No.: PIL/10/2025

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