New Delhi, Jul 25, 2022, By Special Correspondent
New Delhi, Jul 25: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Centre and others on a plea seeking direction to the Election Commission of India to conduct delimitation exercise in four north eastern states.
A petition was filed before the apex court seeking direction to the Centre to provide for the conduct of a delimitation exercise in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland by the Election Commission.
It sought directions to constitute a Delimitation Commission in terms of the provision under the Delimitation Act, 2002, and particularly under Section 8A of the Representation of Peoples (Amendment) Act, 1956.
The petition filed by ‘Delimitation Demand Committee for the State of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in North East India’ was heard by a bench comprising Justice KM Joseph and Justice Hrishikesh Roy.
The bench issued notices to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, Chief Election Commissioner, and others on the plea.
The petition contended that these states have selectively been denied delimitation while the exercises have been conducted in the rest of India, thereby violating fundamental rights guaranteed to citizens of India under Article 14 of the Constitution.
The petition filed through Advocate Gaichangpou Gangmei stated that in the past 51 years, the delimitation exercise has not been held in the four north eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
According to the petitioner, the denial of delimitation of the constituencies in these four states is unjust, unreasonable and unlawful.
The petitioner argued that it is already been two decades since the Delimitation Act, 2002, was amended and no delimitation exercises have been conducted in the four North-eastern states citing law and order problems.
However, since 2002, various parliamentary and state assembly elections have been conducted successfully in these states without any law and order problems cropping up.