AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar to be Chandigarh Mayor | Action Punjab

ACTION PUNJAB NEWS Desk: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court concluded the weeks-long controversy surrounding last month’s Chandigarh mayoral election by declaring Kuldeep Kumar of the Aam Aadmi Party as the rightful victor. This decision put an end to the turmoil sparked by the deliberate invalidation and rejection of eight votes in favour of the AAP candidate by the Returning Officer, Anil Masih.

The Supreme Court declared the earlier results of the Chandigarh mayoral election, in which BJP’s Manoj Sonkar was declared Mayor, unlawful and ordered a re-examination. 

The SC found Presiding Officer Anil Masih guilty of misdemeanor, accusing him of a deliberate attempt to deface eight ballots cast in favour of the petitioner, AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar. The alleged action aimed at favouring the 8th respondent, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.

The apex court strongly criticised the Presiding Officer’s conduct, citing two significant levels of wrongdoing. Firstly, the officer unlawfully altered the course of the Chandigarh mayoral election, impacting its fairness. Secondly, the officer made false statements before the court on February 19, contributing to the decision to set aside the results.

Thank you SC for saving democracy in these difficult times! #ChandigarhMayorPolls

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 20, 2024

As a result of the court’s ruling, the petitioner is declared the validly elected candidate for the post of Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The previously declared results by the Presiding Officer are officially set aside.

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The Supreme Court has also deemed it a fit case for the initiation of proceedings under Section 340 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against the Presiding Officer, Anil Masih. The Registrar Judicial has been directed to issue a notice to Masih, requiring him to show cause as to why steps should not be initiated against him under Section 340 CrPC.

The bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in the Supreme Court has instructed the Registrar Judicial to serve notice to Anil Masih for perjury proceedings due to providing false statements before the court.

Perjury proceedings under Section 340 CrPC have been initiated against Masih, who claimed before the Court that he marked eight ballots as defaced. However, the Court discovered that the ballots were not defaced until after the poll results were announced.

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(Inputs from agencies)