The Supreme Court on Monday refused to put a stay on the delimitation process currently underway in Assam. Withholding the plea filed by nine Opposition parties, a bench comprising chief justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra stated it will examine whether the Election Commission can carry out the process on its own.
On June 20, the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M), CPI, TMC, NCP, RJD, and Anchalik Gana Morcha challenged the methodology of the ongoing delimitation process adopted by the Election Commission.
One of the pleas challenged section 8A of the Representation of People Act, 1950, based on which the Election Commission panel exercised its power to conduct the delimitation process in Assam.
Noted lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Opposition, said the delimitation process is being carried out overlooking the Delimitation Act. “What they are doing is that they are taking the density of population and comparing it with other districts and the delimitation commission categorises districts by giving a margin of 10 per cent,” the senior lawyer said.
Delimitation is defined as the process of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state assembly constituencies based on the recent census to ensure each seat has an almost equal number of voters. Until 2008, the process was carried out by both the courts and the Election Commission.
The delimitation process in Assam was last conducted in 1976. In 2005, the process was restarted. Earlier in July, a three-day meet was held to discuss the first draft, which was presented in 2007.
