Delimitation Commission

• The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to set up a fresh delimitation commission to ensure a proportional representation of the communities specified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as mandated under the Constitution.
• The directions were issued by a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra on a plea seeking a proportionate representation of the Limbu and Tamang tribal communities in the assemblies of Sikkim and West Bengal.
• The plea sought directions to the Centre, Election Commission and the two States to take steps for a proportional representation of the STs, as guaranteed
  • under articles 330 (reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the House of People) and
  • 332 (reservation of seats for SCs and STs in Legislative Assemblies of States) of the Constitution, to prevent a violation of Article 14 (equality before law).

ABOUT DELIMITATION COMMISSION

• Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.
• The job of delimitation is assigned to a high power body. Such a body is known as Delimitation Commission or a Boundary Commission.
• Composition-
  • A SC judge (Current or retired) acts as Chairman
  • The Chief Election Commissioner of India or an Election Commissioner nominated by him/her.
  • Respective State’s Election Commissioner.
• In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted 4 times – in 1952, 1963 , 1973 and in 2002.
• The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.
• These orders come into force on a date to be specified by the President of India in this behalf.
• The copies of its orders are laid before the House of the People and the State Legislative Assembly concerned, but no modifications are permissible therein by them.