Delimitation Commission Empowered To Redraw Jammu And Kashmir Constituencies: Centre To Court
NDTV
It had sought to declare as unconstitutional the notification dated March 6, 2020 constituting the delimitation commission to take up delimitation in the UT of J&K.
The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that a delimitation commission formed to redraw the Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir was empowered to do so.
Seeking dismissal of plea challenging challenging the government's decision to constitute a delimitation commission, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the top court that the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 does not preclude the establishment of Delimitation Commission by the Central government.
"It is submitted that Sections 61 and 62 of the 2019 Act do not preclude the establishment of Delimitation Commission by the Central Government under section 62 of the 2019 Act... It is submitted that the 2019 Act provides for two alternative mechanisms to carry out delimitation for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
"By virtue of Sections 60-61, while the power to determine delimitation is conferred on Election Commission, Section 62(2) and 62(3) confers powers to carry out delimitation on the Delimitation Commission constituted under Section 3 of the Delimitation Act," Mehta told a bench of Justices S K Kaul and Abhay S Oka which reserved its verdict on Thursday.
