In Brief
A wife from the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council sought maintenance from her husband, who belongs to the East Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council. The High Court of Meghalaya remanded the case to the East Khasi Hills District Council. The Supreme Court held that a District Council has jurisdiction only when all parties belong to Scheduled Tribes within its area. Since the spouses belong to different District Councils, neither Council had jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Court partly allowed the appeal and remanded the matter to the District and Sessions Judge, Shillong, as the appropriate court under ordinary law to adjudicate the maintenance claim under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
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