PILs seeking fresh delimitation process dismissed

Bangalore, June 21 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today dismissed two public interest litigations seeking directions to the state government and the Election Commission to re-do delimitation of constituencies ahead of the coming elections to the Belgaum and Gulbarga City Municipal Corporations.

Mr Justices B Padmaraj and Syed Abdul Nazeer, after hearing the arguments of petitioners Mr Bharamraj and two other Corporators of Belgaum City Corporation and Mr Habeeb Khan, ex-corporator of Gulbarga, dismissed the petitions holding they were politically motivated and devoid of public interest.

However, the petitioners did have remedy under the Act and they could question the validity of the polls in election petitions, they added.

In respect of Belgaum Corporation, the petitioners contended the Corporation had been superseded and an administrator appointed.

The city had 58 wards on the basis of the 1991 census, with the population being 3,99,653. With the term of the Corporation ending, authorities were making arrangements to conduct elections on the basis of constituencies and wards as per the 1991 census, which was illegal. As the 2001 census figures were available, elections should be held and constituencies delimited on that basis, they submitted.

In respect of Gulbarga Corporation, the petitioners submitted a similar contention, pleading to re-do delimitation of constituencies on the basis of 2001 census figures. Population as per the 1991 census was 3,00,000, whereas it was 4,24,569 in 2001.

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