Supreme Court issues notice on plea challenging delimitation exercise in Nagaland

Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 31 (EMN): The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice on a plea that challenges the Centre’s order to resume delimitation exercise in Nagaland based on the census of 2001.

The court has scheduled September 14 for the next hearing.

The petition, filed by the Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) and others against ‘the Union of India and others’, seeks to quash the Centre’s order issued on February 28.

One of the petitioners, Theja Therieh, while speaking to Eastern Mirror, said they were hopeful of the government of India coming up with a report before the hearing on September 14.

“By then, we are hoping that either they (SC) quash the notification or at least a stay order will be given,” he said, adding that ‘if delimitation is done on the basis of which is against the law, it will not stand’.

The earlier delimitation exercise announced in 2002 was put on hold through a notification in 2008, mainly on the grounds of law and order situation in the state and the ongoing Indo-Naga talks.

“After 2001, it’s already 19 years now. If the Centre is going to use the same basis for the (delimitation) exercise, it’s not fair and then it’ll do lots of injustice,” Therieh said and added that was the basis on which the CPO had filed the plea.

‘Doing a large scale of delimitation that will involve states, its financial and other administrative works, will be a futile exercise because at the end, this is against the law,’ he said.

“We are not against delimitation but it has to be on the right basis and it has to good in the eye of the law. Just because delimitation has to happen doesn’t mean that it can happen on any basis,” he said.