‘Most DB not ideal and are in substance-abuse’
EMN
Dimapur, February 18
Perhaps for the first time in recent memory, an adminisrttaive officer has clarified what is now realized to be a misconception: The court of the Doubashiis not a customary court as widely believed in Nagaland. Rather, it is a subordinate court of the deputy commissioner but its judgements are honoured by the high court and even the Supreme Court of India.
This clarification, late by decades perhaps, was made by a district official in Mon recently.
The deputy commissioner of Mon district, W Honje Konyak, addressed the second session of the Nagaland Dobashis’ Association Conference as the guest of honour on February 17. The event was conducted in the Council hall of Mon.
In his address, Deputy Commissioner Konyak gave an account of the genesis of the Dobashi (runners, representatives) institution in Nagaland.
Stating that the Doubashi play a key role in maintaining law and order situation in an area, as they are considered to be the eye and ears of the district administration, Konyak said that they must be reliable and well-informed on confidential matters; they must be capable of conducting fair investigation and verification. In the absence of administrative officers due to regular transfer and posting, he said, the Doubashi are expected to provide continuity and stability to bridge the gap.
Konyak also clarified that the DBs court was not a customary court as people generally believe; it is a subordinate court to the deputy commissioner in fact. However, in absence of customary courts, the judgment of the Doubashi court is honored by the higher courts, including the high court and even the Supreme Court of India.
Giving accounts of court proceedings, the deputy commissioner advised the Doubashi community to maintain case records such as receipt, details of the parties involved, nature of the case, date of hearing, statements and dates of the judgment; proper examination and investigation of evidences to ascertain facts to deliver justice to the aggrieved and so on.
Stressing on the urgency of having ‘ideal’ Doubashi in the state of Nagaland, Honje Konyak lamented that most of the DBs in Nagaland ‘do not qualify to be an ideal DB as they indulge in substance abuse, irregularities in the composition such as underage, ‘doubtful character, indisciplined, unreliable and insincere.’ Therefore he questioned whether with such composition, the unique institution of DBs will stand the test of time.
The deputy commissioner suggested that the appointment of the Doubashi should be done through proper interviews only and cautioned against political/backdoor appointments. Equal representation of range/village should be maintained, he also said. He also encouraged the DBs to ‘fight with the government to streamline the recruitment system and bring out DBs service rules.’
In his short speech PA to Deputy Commissioner of Wokha, YM Odyuo, appealed to the DBs to have a sense of duty and responsibility. He lamented that some DBs do not know their roles and responsibilities while others do not even know the name of their respective administrative officer.
The highlights of the program included traditional song by Tseminyu DBs. The conference concluded with the re-nomination of the old office bearers for another term.
