The delimitation exercise undertaken for the municipal corporations of Jalandhar, Ludhiana have been challenged in Punjab and Haryana high court.
Two different benches of high court sought responses on the pleas filed by Harish Rai Dhanda, an SAD leader, challenging the delimitation of wards notified for Ludhiana MC; and one Parminder Singh, who had challenged the final notification of delimitation of wards for Jalandhar.
As per lawyer HPS Ishar the allegations mainly are of violating norms while carrying out the exercise and allegedly ignoring the complaints filed about the process. The high court has sought a response to both the pleas by November 6. Earlier on October 17, the Punjab and Haryana high court had declared the delimitation exercise in the municipal corporation, Phagwara, and municipal councils of Dera Baba Nanak and Dharamkot illegal and had set aside the state government notifications for the same. “Neither there is any alteration in the municipal limits nor there is any increase in the population. As such, the entire exercise is a nullity and suffers from incurable defects. The respondents have completely departed from the procedure prescribed under the Rules of 1972 by creating tailor-made wards only suitable to a few to ensure their success in elections, which has resulted in disturbing the level playing field to give undue advantage to a select few,” the bench of justice Raj Mohan Singh and justice Harpreet Singh Brar had observed in its order.