The Supreme Court has drawn a hard constitutional line: no reshaping of state electoral boundaries—no matter how compelling the demand—until India’s post-2026 census data is officially on the table.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh delivered a firm “no” to a plea that sought early delimitation for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The petitioner wanted the same treatment given to Jammu and Kashmir’s recent constituency overhaul, claiming it was unfair and unconstitutional to exclude the two southern states. The Court, however, saw things differently.
At the heart of the verdict lies Article 170(3) of the Constitution, which places a statutory freeze on redrawing Legislative Assembly seats until figures from the first census conducted after 2026 are published. That provision, the Court made clear, isn’t merely procedural—it’s an ironclad directive.
“This proviso,” the Court noted, “overarchingly and unequivocally says that it is not necessary to readjust seat allocation or constituency boundaries in any State until those census figures are in.” That includes Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and every other State, with no room for exceptions.
The Union government and the Election Commission backed this position, emphasizing the constitutional lock placed on delimitation under Articles 82 and 170. The AP Reorganisation Act, invoked by the petitioners, was dismissed as subordinate to the Constitution’s clear mandate.
The Court didn’t just reject the plea—it dismantled its logic. Allowing early delimitation, it warned, would crack open a constitutional Pandora’s box: a flood of similar petitions, instability in the electoral framework, and a dangerous blur between law and convenience.
“Isolated departures,” the Court stressed, “would violate the equality principle under Article 14 and introduce discriminatory practices under the guise of administrative parity.”
In the end, the verdict was about more than Andhra Pradesh or Telangana—it was a defense of constitutional discipline against the pull of political expediency.
