Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench headed by the chief justice that the delimitation process in Manipur can wait for ‘obvious reasons’. The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it is considering to set up commissions to conduct a delimitation exercise in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, reported PTI. A delimitation exercise refers to demarcating boundaries of Assembly and parliamentary constituencies as well as civic wards. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud was hearing a petition seeking delimitation in Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, responded to a notice issued by the court and said that for “obvious reasons” the delimitation process can wait for Manipur. The northeastern state has been wracked by ethnic violence between the Kukis and the Meiteis since May 3. Over 200 people have been killed since the conflict broke out while nearly 60,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes. The state has also reported cases of rape and murder, and mobs have looted police armoury and set several homes on fire despite the heavy presence of central security forces. At Monday’s hearing, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to inform it about the development in the matter after two weeks. The plea contended that the delimitation exercise has not been carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland for the last 51 years.

Last month, the Election Commission had published its final order on the delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in Assam. The poll panel retained the total number of Assembly seats at 126 and Lok Sabha seats at 14. The Election Commission, however, increased the number of constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes from 16 to 19 and the number of seats set aside for Scheduled Castes from 8 to 9. The names of one Lok Sabha constituency and 19 Assembly constituencies have also been changed. However, the Opposition has raised concerns that redrawing the assembly and parliamentary constituencies could reduce Muslim representation in the assembly, further marginalising the community in the state.