Delimitation Commission

2020 AUG 25

Preliminary   > Polity   >   Institutions/Bodies   >   Constitutional Bodies

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.
  • After each census, a readjustment is to be made in the (a) total number of seats in the assembly of each state and (b) the division of each state into territorial constituencies. The Parliament is empowered to determine the authority and the manner in which it is to be made.
  • In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted 4 times – in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 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.
  • The main task of the commission is redrawing the boundaries of the various assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on a recent census.
  • The representation from each State is not changed during this exercise. However, the number of SC and ST seats in a state are changed in accordance with the census.
  • The present delimitation of constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002.
  • 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.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding ”Delimitation commission”:
1.Orders of the Delimitation Commission cannot be called in question before any court.
2.Parliament can modify Delimitation commission orders once they are laid before the houses.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question