Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court has clarified that the delimitation of wards is fundamentally a legislative exercise meant to facilitate smooth elections and serve the public interest rather than individual agendas.In its March 23 order released on Wednesday—which clears the way for municipal elections by finalising ward boundaries across Punjab—the HC observed that nearly all objections were raised by interested political parties rather than individual residents. The court said residents should be the core part of the delimitation process in a democratic society.“That being so, seeking the government to pass a speaking order by answering each and every objection and giving reasons thereby before finalising the process of delimitation, so as to pass final notification and that too when the same is a legislative function which is being performed, cannot be accepted,” the HC ruled.A division bench comprising Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Vikas Suri passed the orders while dismissing a bunch of petitions challenging the Punjab govt’s delimitation notifications. The petitioners had argued that the process violated the principles of natural justice because their objections were not addressed with detailed reasons.Dismissing the pleas, the HC found no grounds for interference in the delimitation of wards of municipal councils/corporations finalised on or before Dec 31, 2025.Regarding the petitioners’ claim that maps of the proposed changes were not available for public perusal, the court dismissed the argument as a disputed question of fact. The HC said the state’s affidavit—which asserted the maps were available—remained unrebutted by the petitioners.Addressing concerns over a narrow 48-hour window between the objection deadline and the final notification in Bathinda, the HC stated that nothing prevented the govt from considering objections within that time-frame. “The state’s assertion of due consideration must be accepted unless proven otherwise,” the HC said.
