The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the ongoing delimitation exercise in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, allowing the Election Commission to proceed with the redrawing of constituency boundaries after a division bench held that it found no prima facie case for immediate judicial intervention. The petitions, filed by tribal councils and political parties, had argued that the proposed delimitation would reduce the number of reserved constituencies for Scheduled Tribes, diluting tribal political representation in states where indigenous communities form the majority of the population.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, writing the interim order, said the court would hear the substantive constitutional questions after the Election Commission presents its response to the petition arguments. The Election Commission said the delimitation is being conducted strictly in accordance with the constitutional mandate and census data and that it has held extensive consultations with stakeholders. Tribal organisations from all four states declared they would escalate their protests and called for a bandh to oppose the exercise. Opposition parties called the refusal to stay a setback for federal equity and tribal rights in India Northeast region.