'Can't Reorganize State Boundaries': Delhi High Court Rejects PIL To Merge North Indian Cities, Shift Punjab's High Court

The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking merger of various cities in North India with the national capital, and shifting Punjab's High Court to Jalandhar instead of Chandigarh.

“We don't recognize the boundaries of States. We don't decide which High Court will function where. That is not our domain or jurisdiction,” a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said.

The bench rejected the plea moved by one J.P. Singh, a retired Chief Engineer, who sought directions on the Union Government to merge Meerut Commissionerate, Sonepat, Faridabad, and Gurugram with Delhi as well as Chandigarh with Haryana.

He also sought a direction to make a new High Court for Punjab in Jalandhar.

“We are of the view that the petition has been drafted and filed in ignorance of Article 3 of the Constitution of India…,” the bench said while rejecting the plea.

Article 3 empowers the Parliament to create regulations concerning the formation of recent states, alteration of gift states, arrears, and boundaries, and alter the names of existing States.

“Someone wants us to redraw the map of India. That is what is left now,” the bench remarked.

“Why North India only. You could have gone little further than that,” it told Singh who was appearing in person.

As Singh told the court that the Parliament would follow the orders of the court, the bench said: “Parliament does not work under my orders.”

Recently, a single judge had imposed costs of Rs. 10,000 on one Kunwar Mahendra Dhwaj Prasad Singh who claimed property rights on the territory of Agra, running between rivers Yamuna and Ganga, to Meerut and other places including 65 revenue estates of Delhi, Gurugram and Uttarakhand.

The single judge had dismissed Singh's plea seeking a direction on the Union Government to adopt the process of merger, accession or enter into treaty with him for his claimed territory and pay the due compensation to him.

Title: J.P. SINGH v. UNION OF INDIA AND ORS 

Citation: 2024 LiveLaw (Del) 236