Today, Delhi High Court rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that sought directions to alter the boundaries of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana states. Additionally, the petition requested to relocate the capital of Haryana from Chandigarh to Kurukshetra. The petition filed by JP Singh also requested that the common High Court for Punjab and Haryana be divided, and a separate High Court be established for Punjab in Jalandhar.

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora dismissed the plea, noting that courts do not have the authority to alter the boundaries of the country or states. Such decisions fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the parliament.

Acting Chief Justice Manmohan emphasized that according to Article 3 of the Constitution, only the parliament has the authority to change the boundaries of any state. He added that courts cannot issue directives to the legislature or determine which High Court should operate from which location.

“I cannot issue directions to the parliament… We don’t reorganise the boundaries of the States. We do not decide which High Court should function from where,” Acting Chief remarked.

The PIL requested directions to merge Meerut Commissionerate, Sonepat, Faridabad, and Gurugram with Delhi, and Chandigarh with Haryana. Additionally, it demanded the relocation of the capital of Haryana to Kurukshetra and the transfer of the High Court for Punjab to Jalandhar.

The petitioner argued that Meerut is significantly farther from Lucknow than Delhi, making it challenging for residents of Meerut to travel to Lucknow for judicial and administrative matters. Similar difficulties were highlighted for areas like Amritsar, which face challenges in commuting to Chandigarh.

However, the Bench emphasized that issuing such directives falls outside the purview of the Court's jurisdiction, noting that the petition was drafted without considering Article 3 of the Constitution of India.