The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

Imagine a village in the hills of Meghalaya. A dispute over land comes up. Who decides? Not a far-off state court. A local council, chosen by the people of that area, can settle it under tribal custom. This power comes from the Sixth Schedule. It gives tribal communities in four Northeast states a real say in running their own land and life.

1What Does the Sixth Schedule Cover?

• The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas in four states only. They are Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• It comes from Articles 244(2) and 275(1) of the Constitution.
• The main tool is the Autonomous District Council, or ADC. It runs the affairs of a tribal district.
• If a district has more than one tribe, the Governor can create separate Regional Councils for them.
• A District Council has up to 30 members. The Governor nominates 4. The people elect the other 26.
• The term is five years.
• Why this design? Tribal communities in these hills had their own customs long before the Constitution. The Schedule lets them keep those customs inside the law.
• The exam trap is the state list. Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh are not under the Sixth Schedule.

2What Powers Do the Councils Have?

• Councils can make laws on land, forests, water use for farming, village administration, inheritance, marriage and social customs.
• Some of these laws need the Governor’s assent before they take effect. So oversight is not fully removed.
• Councils also run village courts and district courts. These hear disputes among Scheduled Tribes in their area.
• They can levy certain taxes, tolls and fees. They also get grants-in-aid from the Centre under Article 275(1).
• Put together, this is legislative, judicial and financial power. That is why the Sixth Schedule is called a genuine self-governing system.
• Think of the council as a mini-government for one district. It makes rules, settles disputes and raises money.

3How Is the Sixth Schedule Different from the Fifth?

• Both schedules protect Scheduled Tribes. That is why UPSC likes to mix them up.
• The Fifth Schedule works through the Governor and a Tribes Advisory Council. It is protective and advisory. It does not create a separate elected body.
• The Sixth Schedule creates elected councils with real law-making, court and money powers.
• Fifth Schedule states include Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
• Here is a simple memory line. Fifth means protected and advised. Sixth means self-governed.
• A quick filter helps in MCQs. If an option names a central or southern tribal state, it belongs to the Fifth Schedule. Drop it.
• The Fifth Schedule has its own article on this site, Polity0353.

4Which Are the Ten Councils?

• Ten councils work across the four states. Knowing the split by state is a common objective-question trap.
• Assam (3): Bodoland Territorial Council (2003), Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.
• Meghalaya (3): Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills. These date to 1952, when the area was part of Assam. They took their present separate forms after Meghalaya was formed.
• Mizoram (3): Chakma, Lai and Mara. All three were formed in 1972.
• Tripura (1): the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, formed in 1982. It was brought under the Sixth Schedule in 1984.
• Add them up: 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 = 10.
• The Bodoland Territorial Council is the newest and largest. It was formed in 2003 and has its headquarters at Kokrajhar.

5Where Do Articles 244 and 244A Fit?

• Article 244 applies the Fifth and Sixth Schedules to scheduled and tribal areas.
• Article 244A is a separate provision. It was added by the 22nd Amendment in 1969.
• It lets Parliament create a separate state or an autonomous region inside Assam.
• The story of Meghalaya shows how it went in practice. Meghalaya became a state through the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. It did not use Article 244A.
• So Article 244A stays a power on paper. It was bypassed in practice.
• That is why exams test it as a separate point from the Sixth Schedule councils.

6What Is in the News: Ladakh and Bodoland?

• Ladakh’s people have asked for Sixth Schedule status for years. The demand continues to be pressed, including through protests.
• The Centre has so far used its Article 240 rule-making power instead of granting the status.
• In 2025, the Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation set 85% reservation for local residents in government jobs.
• A High-Powered Committee set up by the Home Ministry in 2023 keeps talks going.
• Ladakh’s tribal population, commonly cited at around 97%, keeps the Sixth Schedule case alive.
• In Assam, the Bodoland Territorial Council held elections on 22 September 2025.
• The Bodoland People’s Front won 28 of the 40 seats. Hagrama Mohilary became Chief Executive Member.
• Current-affairs questions often pair a fact like this with the static Sixth Schedule rules.

7What Should You Remember for Exams?

Must Know

• The Sixth Schedule covers Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• It works through Autonomous District Councils with up to 30 members: 4 nominated and 26 elected.
• It follows from Articles 244(2) and 275(1).

Good to Know

• Councils make laws, run courts and levy taxes.
• Some laws need the Governor’s assent.
• The Fifth Schedule works through a Tribes Advisory Council and has no elected council (Trap).

Great to Know

• There are ten councils: 3 in Assam, 3 in Meghalaya, 3 in Mizoram and 1 in Tripura.
• Article 244A came through the 22nd Amendment in 1969 and was never used to create a state (Trap).
• Meghalaya became a state through the 1971 Reorganisation Act.

8How Has This Been Asked in Exams?