Supreme Court rejects MP Rajkumar Roat's plea for tribal area municipalities

The Supreme Court of India, in a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, refused to entertain a writ petition filed by Lok Sabha MP Rajkumar Roat of the Bharat Adivasi Party. Roat, representing Banswara in Rajasthan, sought a directive to create municipalities in urban settlements that lie within Scheduled Tribe (ST) areas, arguing that rapid urbanisation has left these communities without municipal governance.

The Court held that the issue falls within the legislative domain, directing the MP to approach the relevant ministry or introduce a private‑member bill in the Lok Sabha. It noted that while the Constitution’s 74th Amendment established urban local self‑government, Article 243ZC excludes ST areas, and no specific legislation has been enacted for municipal governance in these regions despite three decades of change.

Roat’s petition highlighted that the absence of municipal structures hampers residents’ participation in decisions on land use, infrastructure, sanitation, public health, finance, and environmental protection. The Court suggested the legislative route as the appropriate avenue for addressing the gap.