Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Plea Challenging Delimitation Of Municipal Corporation Wards

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice on a plea challenging the delimitation of wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma sought response from the Centre through the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Government and Delimitation Committee of State Election Commission, while listing the matter for hearing on December 14.

Anil Kumar, President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee in the petition challenges the notification issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on October 17 notifying 250 wards in Delhi, which came into existence after the amalgamation of three different corporations earlier this year.

The plea argues that the exercise has been done without making serious changes in the formation of wards and "in complete ignorance of relevant factors."

The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022 reduced the number of wards in the national capital to 250 from the earlier 272.

The Delimitation Committee had completed the exercise and submitted a draft report to the Centre on August 25.

Thereafter, Centre had issued a notification on September 10 fixing the total number of seats as 250 out of which 42 seats were reserved for members of Scheduled Caste in the Municipal Corporation. A public notice was thereafter issued asking the public and others to file their suggestions or objections, if any, in respect of the said Draft Delimitation on or before October 3.

In this backdrop, Kumar has claimed that his suggestions or objections submitted to the Delimitation Committee were not considered, adding that the draft for notification was sent to the Centre without going into the questions raised by him in public interest.

The plea adds that the impugned notification has been issued in an arbitrary manner by completely ignoring the ratio of area population and without dividing them in equal proportion as per city's population, as per last population census of 2011, and natural boundaries.

The plea has been moved by Advocates Vikas Yadav, Sajid Chaudhary and Gaurav Dua.

The plea has been moved by Advocates Vikas Yadav, Sajid Chaudhary and Gaurav Dua.

Title: ANILKUMAR v. UNION OF INDIA & ORS.