New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought clarification on the population growth data that formed the basis for the ward delimitation in Kerala's local self-government institutions. The state government had informed the court that the ward delimitation was carried out in the light of population increase in the state, prompting the court to inquire about the specific data used to substantiate the claim.

The apex court issued notices to the state government and other respondents on petitions challenging the Kerala High Court verdict, which upheld the government's authority to carry out ward delimitation based on the 2011 Census data. The bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Ahsanuddin Amanullah heard the petitions filed by leaders of the Muslim League and Congress against the High Court's ruling.

Senior advocate Niranjan Reddy and advocate Haris Beeran, representing the Muslim League leaders, argued that with a new census scheduled this year, it was improper to conduct ward delimitation based on the previous census data. They contended that the government's decision was flawed in the absence of updated population statistics.

However, senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the state government, defended the decision, stating that the state had indeed experienced population growth, making ward delimitation necessary. 
The bench subsequently sought clarification on the data the government relied upon to assert population growth. Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah orally observed whether the delimitation exercise could be deemed unilateral without precise population figures.

Meanwhile, the court declined to stay the High Court verdict, despite requests made in the petitions. The Supreme Court accepted Niranjan Reddy's plea for an urgent hearing and scheduled the petitions for consideration after two weeks.

The petitions were filed by six Muslim League leaders from various municipalities in Kozhikode district. Senior advocate Naveen R Nath and advocate Abdullah Naseeh represented the UDF-ruled Mattannur Municipality. Former attorney general K K Venugopal and standing counsel Nishe Rajen Shonkar appeared for the state government, while advocate M R Ramesh Babu represented the State Ward Delimitation Commission.