GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court has given the Centre two weeks to provide details of its position to conduct delimitation in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
A bench comprising of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, while hearing a petition by Delimitation Demand Committee on Monday, gave the directive after the Centre informed the apex court that it is actively considering the establishment of delimitation commissions in the two Northeastern states.
Earlier on July 11, the Supreme Court took a different stance from the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the initiation of the delimitation process in Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
The ECI had previously asserted that it required authorisation from the Centre before commencing the process in these states. Chief Justice Chandrachud, addressing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, had opined that it seemed unnecessary for the Election Commission to seek authorisation from the Government of India.
In contrast to other states, these four states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland—mandate that the Election Commission, rather than the Delimitation Commission, oversee the delimitation exercise, he had said.
Chief Justice Chandrachud’s preliminary observation was grounded in an interpretation of Section 8A of The Representation of the People Act, 1950, which pertains to the delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies in these specific states.
Earlier in January, the demand for delimitation gained momentum in Arunachal Pradesh when hundreds of people participated in a peaceful rally organised by the Arunachal Pradesh Delimitation Demand Committee (APDDC).
The rally, which began at Nyokum Lapang and concluded at the tennis court, called for the implementation of delimitation based on proportionate representation in the state.
