Delimitation : After Expressing Anguish Over Delay, Supreme Court Gives Centre Three Months To Complete Exercise In North East

The Supreme Court granted three months to the Centre for carrying out the delimitation exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna noted the request of Centre’s solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who sought some more time.

The bench then deferred the hearing to July 21 and asked the Centre to do the needful within three months.

According to PTI, It may be recalled that in November 19, 2024 , The SC while hearing the issue , had raised concerns over the delay in carrying out the delimitation exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Assam, despite a 2020 presidential order rescinding the deferment of the process.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said “once the president rescinds the notification, that is enough” to proceed with the delimitation exercise. “Where does the government come in?” The bench asked Additional Solicitor General K M Natraj, appearing for the Centre, to take instructions on the future course of action on the matter.

“Take instructions on this, the exercise has to be done…it is a statutory mandate and therefore you have to comply with it,” the CJI said.

The additional solicitor general said while consultations are underway for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, the ongoing violence in Manipur makes the situation there unconducive.

The hearing on a plea filed by ‘Delimitation Demand Committee for the State of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur & Nagaland in North East India’ was then deferred till January 2025.