Supreme Court: AAP Wins Chandigarh Mayor. Discover how the Supreme Court is addressing election irregularities in Chandigarh through legal proceedings and actions, ensuring transparency and accountability.
In a significant victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Supreme Court invalidated the Chandigarh mayoral election results on Tuesday due to the Returning Officer’s disqualification of eight ballot votes. It lead to the BJP candidate’s victory. As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision:
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, examined the physical ballot papers. They determined that the eight ballots invalidated by Returning Officer Anil Masih were indeed valid and had been cast in favor of AAP’s mayoral candidate Kuldeep Kumar.
The bench observed that Anil Masih had intentionally defaced eight ballots cast in favor of the petitioner.
The bench remarked:
“Yesterday, the officer claimed in this court that he invalidated the ballots because he found them defaced. However, it is on record that none of the ballots were defaced.”
The bench stated:
“The actions of the Presiding Officer must be condemned on two grounds. Firstly, his actions unlawfully altered the outcome of the mayoral election. Secondly, by making a false statement before this court, the officer displayed dishonesty for which he must be held responsible.”
Supreme Court’s Vigilance and Legal Action in Response to Allegations of Election Irregularities:
The bench reiterated the court’s obligation to uphold democratic principles.
Additionally, the bench instigated criminal proceedings under Section 340 of the CrPC against Anil Masih for providing false statements to the court.
Earlier, on Monday, the Supreme Court mandated the presentation of the ballot papers and video footage of the vote counting process in the Chandigarh mayoral elections.
The BJP secured a decisive victory in the Chandigarh mayoral elections on January 30. It retained all three positions and defeating the Congress-AAP alliance. Subsequently, the AAP petitioned the Supreme Court for fresh elections, alleging “fraud and forgery” by Returning Officer Anil Masih during the election process.
A circulating video depicted Anil Masih marking ballot papers while glancing at the CCTV footage, raising concerns about the fairness of the elections.
During Monday’s proceedings:
The Supreme Court condemned the alleged “horse-trading business” in the mayoral elections. It remarked that Masih should face prosecution if found guilty of the accusations against him.
