Overview
- A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad is hearing a batch of 49 petitions covering municipal corporations including Thane, Vasai-Virar and Mumbai.
- Petitioners contest a 2022 shift of delimitation powers from the State Election Commission to the executive, calling it unconstitutional and urging reliance on earlier SEC exercises.
- A Vasai-Virar petition claims villages were added or denotified without due process, including areas covered by the Constitution’s Fifth Schedule.
- The Maharashtra government cites Supreme Court directions to complete local body polls by January 31, 2026 and argues that issued SEC notifications undercut the maintainability of the pleas.
- Earlier this week, the High Court dismissed voter-list challenges and observed that it cannot stall the election process despite the complexity of the issues.