Kerala Court Invalidates Local Delimitation Process

The Kerala High Court declared the delimitation process for nine local bodies as invalid. The court ruled that amendments made to increase ward numbers in certain municipalities and a gram panchayat relied on outdated data, affecting their structure. The changes were based on the 2011 census data.

The Kerala High Court has struck down the delimitation process for nine local bodies in the state, declaring it invalid and inoperative under the Kerala Municipality (Second Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Act, 2024.

Justice Mohammed Nias C P, addressing a series of petitions, annulled the state government's decision to increase the number of wards in eight municipalities and one gram panchayat, citing reliance on outdated population data. These changes impact the structure and functionality of the local bodies, the court observed.

The court underlined that adjustments to the number of seats must be grounded on relevant population data. Consequently, the court ruled the delimitation exercise in places like Padne Grama Panchayat and several municipalities, including Panoor and Mattannur, as illegal.

(With inputs from agencies.)