The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that it was unconstitutional to hold the delimitation exercise only in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir while leaving out Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
New Delhi – The Supreme Court of India has reserved its judgment on a petition that asked the Central Government to conduct a delimitation exercise for increasing assembly seats in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
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A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh heard the matter on Wednesday. The petition was filed by K Purushottam Reddy, who requested the court to direct the Centre to take action on the issue.
The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that it was unconstitutional to hold the delimitation exercise only in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir while leaving out Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
He strongly argued, “He was seeking parity with the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and delimitation exercise be taken in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.”
On behalf of the Central Government, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj defended the stand of the Union. He referred to Section 26 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, saying that the delimitation cannot be conducted until the 2026 census is completed.
The petitioner’s lawyer disagreed, highlighting that the delimitation commission set up for Jammu and Kashmir was the only one formed after the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act came into effect. The counsel pointed out the difference in treatment, arguing it was unfair.
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The bench questioned the petitioner’s counsel by asking whether his argument was that “as and when the power was exercised by the Centre under the Delimitation Act, it must apply to all states uniformly.”
In response, Nataraj emphasized that delimitation is a large and complex task, saying, “delimitation was an enormous exercise and could not be undertaken overnight.”
The petitioner’s counsel continued to oppose the unequal treatment, saying there was no reason to exclude Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, while Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland were included in the earlier delimitation notification issued by the Centre.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment in the case.
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