Odisha's contempt petition in Supreme Court over Kotia panchayat elections

Story So Far: On 19 October 2026, the Election Commission of Andhra Pradesh has issued a notification for the elections to Mandal Parishad Constituencies (MPTCs) and Zilla Parishad Constituencies (ZPTCs) which are scheduled to be held on 3 November.

The decision to hold elections in Kotia village, whose jurisdiction has been disputed between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha since independence, has sparked protests across the political spectrum in Odisha.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused Andhra Pradesh of undermining Odisha’s territorial integrity. On 23 October 2026, the Odisha government said it had filed a contempt of court case in the Supreme Court against the Andhra Pradesh government challenging the notification of the upcoming Kotia elections.

Why is Kotia controversial?

As many as 21 villages in the Kotia group, under Pottangi Tahasil of Odisha’s Koraput district, have been at the center of a territorial dispute with Andhra Pradesh since 1955.

According to the Orissa government’s instructions on the dispute, Orissa had exercised administrative control over these villages since 1936. The dispute arose in 1955, two years after the creation of Andhra province, when Andhra Pradesh officials attempted to collect land revenue from the villages. Odisha protested through its chief secretary, but Andhra Pradesh countered that it had been collecting revenue there since 1947 and that residents had participated in state elections in 1954.

In 1959, Andhra Pradesh cited the 1942 boundary delimitation by M. Gilby, Deputy Director of Survey, Madras Province, claiming that it was done with the consent of Odisha. Odisha rejected this demand, arguing that Gilby wrongly assumed its delimitation in accordance with the Government of India (Orissa Constitution) Order 1936. Both states held general elections in 1967 in the disputed area.

Amidst the impasse, the then Union Home Minister convened a conciliation meeting on September 12, 1968. The dispute failed to be resolved, with the minister reportedly commenting that it would be difficult to uphold Odisha’s claim given the acceptance of the Gilby report.

Legal basis

Odisha was moved by the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution on 14 November 1968. Talks between the two chief ministers in 1978 also proved inconclusive.

On 30 March 2006, the Supreme Court heard the original suit, saying it had no jurisdiction to decide the dispute because of the proviso to Article 131. It ordered that the status quo should be maintained until the dispute was dealt with by a competent authority in accordance with law. According to legal experts, only Parliament resolves issues under Article 131 of the Constitution. Odisha’s application for review in 2006 and application for relief in 2007 were also dismissed, effectively closing the door to further judicial review in these proceedings.

The controversy resurfaced in 2021 when Andhra Pradesh announced Gram Panchayat elections in Phatusineri (Pattuchennuru) on 13 February 2021. Odisha approached the Supreme Court with a contempt petition alleging that the status quo had been violated. Andhra Pradesh subsequently announced elections to MPTC and ZPTC seats in Kotia scheduled for 8 April 2021, prompting another contempt petition by Odisha seeking an injunction against the neighboring state and its officials.

The two chief ministers met again in 2021 amid renewed tensions, but the talks avoided the contentious issue of jurisdiction and ended with blanket assurances of cooperation.

In 2023, Odisha again approached the Supreme Court seeking a ruling on the Kotia dispute. In the latest proceedings, Odisha filed its reply to the objections raised by Andhra Pradesh.

File a contempt petition

Fabi Rasheed, sub-collector of Koraput, said the district collector has filed a fresh contempt petition in the Supreme Court alleging that Andhra Pradesh has violated the status quo order of 2006.

Meanwhile, a BJD delegation visited Kotia and criticized the Mohan Charan Majhi government, claiming that the administration has completely mishandled the Kotia issue. A Congress delegation led by its state president Bhakta Charan Das is scheduled to visit Kotia on Tuesday (October 27, 2026).

Both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh governments are spending a lot to win over the Kotia people. While the Odisha government is emphasizing on creating infrastructure like opening educational institutes, laying roads and bridges and creating other government institutions, Andhra Pradesh is focusing on admitting Kotia children to schools located in its jurisdiction and distributing pension benefits.

Published – 26 Oct 2026 15:32 IST