Imphal, April 05 2010: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) comes up on the way to the holding of elections to the six Autonomous District Councils in the five hill districts of the state which government is reportedly schedule to hold in two phase in the middle week of May next.

The PIL filed in the court of Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench by one Ramthing Hungyo of Ukhrul with the prayer seeking quashing of a notification issued by the state government with regard to the exercise of the delimitation of the constituencies of the ADCs.

The court admitted the PIL and fixed the date of hearing on May 5 next.

In his petition, Ramthing stated that the delimitation exercise for the ADC election conducted under the notification issued by the government on September 11, 2009 has violated the Manipur State Hills People (Administration) Regulation Act, 1947 .

The respondents of the petition filed was state Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Hills Department and State Election Officer and after admitting the PIL, a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench comprising Justice Takyenjam Nandakumar and Justice K Meruno also order to serve notices to the respondents.

Ramthing through his counsel, advocate Sarungbam Jayenta said as per the Manipur State Hills People Administration Regulation Act, 1947, the villages within the ADCs jurisdictions are paying house taxes under definite nomenclatures of the respective villages.

Against the regulation, the delimitation exercise conducted under the notification of September 11, 2009, keeping behind the regulations, excluded around 50 percent of the villages apart from detecting various flaws in the delimitation exercise, the petition said.

As there have many flaws in the delimitation, it will not be a right step to conduct election based on the constituencies formed under the notification of September 11, the petitioner observed and prayed the court to quash the notification of the government and prevent holding elections based on it.

In may be recalled that earlier, the same court has admitted a PIL to hold the election to the Autonomous District Councils of the state after the extension of the VIth Schedule of the Constitution of India in the state of Manipur as resolved/agreed by the state Cabinet on various occasions.

With the admission of the writ petition, the division bench comprising of Judges, Acting Chief Justice, Ranjan Gogoi and Justice K Meruno has also fix the date of hearing on May 4 next.

The writ petition was filed by three individuals, Ramvao of Viewland, Ukhrul district, L John Suantak of Kamuching of Senapati district and LR Maki of Khamsom village of Senapati district and the respondents are Manipur government, its law and legislative affairs department, department of hills and union of India through the secretary, ministry of home affairs, New Delhi.