Supreme Court refuses to put stay on Assam delimitation process

In a major development, Supreme Court (SC) on July 24 refused to stay the delimitation process of the Election Commission of India (ECI) initiated in Assam.

''Wouldn’t issue any order restraining the poll panel to take any further steps regarding delimitation exercise in the state,'' SC said.

The development comes after the apex court heard a plea filed by opposition leaders from Assam challenging the recent draft proposal of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the delimitation of Assam's 126 Assembly constituencies and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.

The top court further asked the centre to file an affidavit within three weeks in this regard.

Though the top court refused to put a stay on the ongoing delimitation process in Assam, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to examine the constitutional validity of Section 8A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 which empowers ECI to undertake the delimitation of constituencies.

Recently, ECI passed a draft proposal for the delimitation of Assam's 126 Assembly constituencies and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Opposition parties in Assam such as Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M), CPI, TMC, NCP, RJD, and Anchalik Gana Morcha recently filed a plea in the apex court challenging the ongoing delimitation process.

In their plea, opposition parties have specifically challenged the methodology adopted by the poll panel, and its proposals were notified on June 20, 2023.