ADVOCATE WRITES TO GUV, CM, ULB DEPTT; SAYS AMBALA & MANESAR MCS CONTINUE DESPITE FALLING BELOW STATUTORY 3-LAKH POPULATION REQUIREMENT
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A major administrative and statutory controversy has surfaced in Haryana after a Punjab and Haryana High Court Advocate formally writing to the Governor, Chief Minister and other top constitutional authorities of State Government to immediately examine the legal status of Ambala and Manesar Municipal Corporations, contending that both no longer satisfy the mandatory minimum population of three lakh prescribed under the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994.
In a detailed legal representation submitted on Advocate Hemant Kumar has asserted that the Haryana Government’s own officially published data establishes that the two Municipal Corporations presently fall below the statutory population threshold required for their existence as Municipal Corporations.
According to the latest figures uploaded by the Urban Local Bodies Department, based on data supplied by the Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID), Haryana, and updated as on 16 July 2026, Ambala Municipal Corporation has an official population of 2,57,942, while Manesar Municipal Corporation has only 1,62,617 residents.
The representation points out that Ambala is 42,058 persons short of the statutory requirement, whereas Manesar has barely about half of the minimum population prescribed by law.
“Government’s Own Records Raise Serious Legal Questions”
Calling the issue one of rule of law rather than political policy, the representation argues that Section 3 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 permits the constitution of a Municipal Corporation only for an urban area having a population of not less than three lakh.
The Advocate contends that once the Government’s own official data acknowledges that the prescribed statutory condition no longer exists, the continued functioning of the two Municipal Corporations raises significant constitutional and administrative questions.
Among the issues raised are whether the Municipal Corporations can legally continue in existence, whether elections conducted for such Corporations satisfy the statutory requirements, whether actions taken by the elected bodies remain legally sustainable, and whether continued recognition despite admitted statutory ineligibility amounts to an exercise of executive power contrary to law.
Legal Opinion from Advocate General Sought
The representation seeks immediate intervention from the Governor, Chief Minister, Urban Local Bodies Department, State Election Commission and other constitutional authorities.
It requests that the State Government obtain a comprehensive legal opinion from the Advocate General, Haryana, examine the continuing legal validity of both Municipal Corporations, review the legality of elections conducted after the population allegedly fell below the statutory threshold, and determine whether corrective legislative or administrative measures have become necessary.
Previous Warnings Before Elections
Hemant has further stated that similar legal representations had been submitted before the first Manesar Municipal Corporation elections in March 2025 and before the Ambala Municipal Corporation elections held in May 2026, requesting that elections should not be conducted until the statutory population requirement was satisfied.
According to the representation, no speaking order or statutory clarification has been issued by the competent authorities so far.
Legislature Retained Same Population Norm
The representation also highlights that the Haryana Municipal Bodies Bill, 2025, which is presently awaiting Presidential assent, continues to retain the minimum three-lakh population requirement for constitution of a Municipal Corporation, indicating that the Legislature has consciously reaffirmed the statutory policy.
Issue Goes Beyond Two Cities
The representation emphasizes that the controversy extends beyond Ambala and Manesar and concerns a broader constitutional principle—whether statutory conditions enacted by the Legislature can be overlooked by executive authorities once Government records themselves acknowledge non-compliance.
Describing the issue as one involving statutory supremacy, constitutional governance and the rule of law, Hemant has urged the State Government to take an immediate, reasoned and legally sustainable decision after examining the official population data and the provisions of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994.
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