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Allahabad High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Alapur Assembly Seat Reservation After 20 Years
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News18•15-10-2026, 13:45
Allahabad High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Alapur Assembly Seat Reservation After 20 Years
- •The Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition challenging the delimitation of assembly constituencies in Ambedkar Nagar district and the reservation of the Alapur seat for Scheduled Castes.
- •The division bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary ruled that the challenge was highly belated as the delimitation order was published on December 5, 2006.
- •Petitioner Dileep Kumar had argued that population distribution among constituencies was unequal and violated Article 170(2) of the Constitution.
- •The court noted that Article 170(2) requires population-seat parity only so far as practicable, granting the Delimitation Commission flexibility regarding geographical and administrative factors.
- •Judges emphasized that reopening the arrangement after nearly two decades and multiple elections would be inequitable, especially with the upcoming 2026 census.
Key Questions Answered
The Allahabad High Court dismissed the petition as highly belated, noting that nearly two decades had elapsed since the delimitation order was published in December 2006 and that multiple assembly elections had already been conducted based on it.
The petitioner argued that population distribution among the five constituencies in Ambedkar Nagar was unequal, violating Article 170(2) of the Constitution, and claimed that Alapur's Scheduled Caste population percentage did not justify its reserved status.
The court held that Article 170(2) requires population-seat parity only so far as practicable, leaving the Delimitation Commission latitude to account for geographical contiguity, administrative boundaries, and other relevant factors.
