NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has rejected a petition seeking delimitation for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, citing Constitutional stipulations that require such exercises to be based on census data collected after 2026.Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, whilst reviewing the petition by Purushottam Reddy, ruled against claims that conducting delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir whilst excluding Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was discriminatory and against the Constitution, PTI reported.The court referenced Article 170 of the Constitution, which outlines Legislative Assembly composition guidelines, stating that adjustments to state assembly seat numbers must wait until the publication of the first census figures after 2026.Additionally, the court clarified that Administrative law’s Doctrine of legitimate expectation cannot take precedence over explicit Constitutional provisions.The petitioner Reddy has argued that conducting constituency delimitation exclusively for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, whilst excluding Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, establishes an unfair classification that violates constitutional principles.The Supreme Court clarified that section 26 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 operates under Article 170 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the next delimitation can occur only after the initial census following 2026.The Supreme Court noted that accepting the request for a new delimitation process would trigger numerous similar petitions from other states demanding comparable exercises.