The Calcutta High Court has declined to halt Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s ward delimitation process, leaving the city’s revised 208-ward structure in place for now ahead of the municipal election scheduled for December. The court did not issue an interim order on Thursday, but the wider legal challenge will continue after directing the parties to file affidavits.
KMC previously had 144 wards. The number was increased to 208 under the revised delimitation plan. A resident of Kasba challenged the redrawing of the wards, alleging that the boundaries had not been determined through a reasonable or proper process.
The petitioner argued that the exercise did not adequately account for the population of individual wards, their geographical position and administrative convenience. The challenge sought judicial intervention over the way the ward boundaries had been redrawn before the civic election.
Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya dismissed the application seeking interim relief on Thursday. However, the court did not dismiss the main case. The court has asked the state government to submit an affidavit on the maintainability of the case within three weeks.
The Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have been directed to respond within four weeks. The matter will be heard again after six weeks, when the court is expected to consider the submissions of all sides before taking a decision on the wider dispute.
The absence of an interim order means that there is currently no court-ordered suspension of the revised ward arrangement. Lawyers cited in the report therefore view the civic election process as facing no immediate legal obstruction from this case, although the underlying challenge remains pending.
Ward delimitation determines the territorial boundaries through which residents are represented in a municipal corporation. It also shapes the organisation of polling areas and the distribution of elected representatives across the city. In this case, the dispute centres on whether the revised boundaries reflect population distribution, geographical continuity and administrative coordination.
The timing adds significance to the proceedings because the municipal election is expected in December. The state government, Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) must now file their responses within the timeframes set by the court. The next hearing is scheduled after six weeks, while the 208-ward arrangement remains operational unless a later court order changes the position.
