MUMBAI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition challenging a Maharashtra ordinance notifying an increase in electoral seats in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from 227 to 236.
A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli dismissed the petition of BJP councillors Abhijit Samant and Rajeshree Shirwadkar. It was earlier rejected by Bombay high court.
It contended that seats cannot be increased without a census, which was last done in 2011. The bench, however, said the population had increased over the last 10 years and a fresh census was not mandatory to increase seats.
Bombay high court in January dismissed the plea challenging the state urban development department's notification after the proposal was cleared by governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The state election commission on Tuesday had told the high court it delegated power to Mumbai's municipal commissioner's to prepare a draft notification for delimitation of ward areas in Mumbai for civic elections and publish it in the government gazette.
