Ranchi: Former Jharkhand CM and BJP leader Raghubar Das on Tuesday opposed the state cabinet’s recent approval to the draft of Jharkhand Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Rules of 2025 and said the rules framed by the state govt violates the spirit of the PESA Act of 1996. The former CM said he suspected that the rules, recently passed by the state cabinet, might have ignored many core provisions proposed in the Act.“Since the approved PESA rules have not yet been made public, I suspect that the state government may have ignored many of the core provisions of the PESA Act,” Das told reporters here. He said that the Act clearly mandates that any state legislation made regarding panchayats shall be in consonance with customary law, social and religious practices, and traditional management practices of community resources.He said it has not been clarified whether the chairmanship of the gram sabha will be reserved for people from tribal orthodox traditions or would also be opened for those who have converted to other religions.“I believe that rather than erasing the tribal orthodox system, it should be empowered through legal recognition so that their cultural identity, traditional justice system, and their control over resources remain intact,” Das said. He said that under the PESA Act, 1996, there are provisions that rights over minor minerals, forest produce, water sources, and other collective resources have to be granted to gram sabhas. JMM and Congress, did not respond to allegations made by Das till late evening.
