Hyderabad, February 26: The Telangana High Court has expressed strong dissatisfaction with state authorities for failing to file a counter-affidavit in a writ petition challenging the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) delimitation process.
Despite a clear directive issued on September 1, 2025, the respondents have yet to submit their response, leading the court to issue a stern warning of financial penalties.
Legal Challenge to Municipal Act
The petition, argued by Advocate Barkat Ali Khan representing Advocate Muzaffer Ullah Khan, questions the constitutional validity of Section 6 of the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019.
The petitioner contends that the provision is ultra vires to the Constitution of India because it uses voters as the basis for ward delimitation rather than population, which is the standard used in other major Indian states.
Lack of Transparency in Data
During the hearing, the court was informed that a formal representation was made to the GHMC Commissioner on December 14, 2025, requesting the specific population and voter data for the newly proposed 300 wards.
To date, the authorities have neither replied nor provided the requested data. Consequently, an Interlocutory Application has been filed seeking the immediate release of the 300 ward-wise voter lists and a 30-day window for the public to file objections once the data is made available.
Court Directive and Penalty
Noting the five-month delay, the High Court granted the respondents a final three-week window to file their counter-affidavit.
The bench made it clear that failure to comply this time would result in a cost of 5,000 rupees to be paid by the concerned respondents to the Telangana Legal Services Authority. The petitioner has been granted one week thereafter to file a reply, and the matter is posted for further hearing in four weeks.
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