Delimitation of Constituencies: Supreme Court Clarifies the Constitutional Freeze
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Delimitation Commission, Constitutional Articles - Article 170, Census, Union Territories vs. States).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure; Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning; Separation of powers.
Key Highlights from the News
The Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking delimitation in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The petitioners argued that since delimitation was carried out in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022, it should be done for them too.
However, the court clarified that according to Article 170 of the Constitution, there is a constitutional embargo on carrying out delimitation in states until the first Census post 2026 is completed.
Since Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory, this constitutional embargo does not apply there.
Therefore, the court ruled that the situations of states and Union Territories are different, and the action in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be a precedent for other states.
The court also observed that granting an exemption only to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana could lead to similar demands from other states, which would affect the stability of the country's electoral framework.
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