On Thursday, the Delhi High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition requesting alterations to the boundaries of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, as well as the relocation of Haryana's capital from Chandigarh to Kurukshetra [JP Singh v Union of India & Ors].
The petition, filed by JP Singh, also sought the division of the common High Court for Punjab and Haryana, advocating for the establishment of a separate High Court for Punjab in Jalandhar.
Presently, both Punjab and Haryana share Chandigarh as their capital and High Court.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora dismissed the plea, stating that courts lack the authority to alter national or state boundaries, which falls solely within the purview of the parliament.
Acting Chief Justice Manmohan cited Article 3 of the Constitution, emphasizing that only parliament holds the power to change state boundaries, and courts cannot dictate the functioning locations of High Courts.
He remarked, "I cannot issue directions to the parliament… We don’t reorganize the boundaries of the States. We do not decide which High Court should function from where."
The PIL sought directives to integrate Meerut Commissionerate, Sonepat, Faridabad, and Gurugram with Delhi, and Chandigarh with Haryana.
Furthermore, it urged the relocation of Haryana's capital to Kurukshetra and the relocation of Punjab's High Court to Jalandhar.
The petitioner argued that Meerut is considerably farther from Lucknow than Delhi, causing inconvenience for residents travelling to Lucknow for judicial or administrative matters. Similar concerns were raised for areas like Amritsar, facing challenges in reaching Chandigarh.
However, the Bench ruled that such directives were beyond the scope of the Court's authority and highlighted the petitioner's lack of consideration for Article 3 of the Indian Constitution.
Consequently, the plea was rejected.
