AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar to be Chandigarh Mayor, declares SC
The bench, led by CJI DY Chandrachud, outlined a plan to appoint an unbiased Returning Officer, preferably an officer not aligned with any political party. The court directed the Deputy Commissioner to oversee the process, ensuring a transparent counting of ballots.
FollowIn a significant development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (Feruary 20) declared Kuldeep Kumar, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate, as the 'validly elected' Mayor of Chandigarh. This ruling comes after the court directed that 8 'invalid' votes, defaced by the returning officer Anil Masih, be treated as valid. The Supreme Court also issued a show cause notice to Masih in connection with the defacement of these votes.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud suggested a recount of votes, treating the ballots defaced by Masih as valid. Notably, these marked ballots were in favor of AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar. The court's intervention aimed at ensuring a fair and accurate representation of the voters' intent.
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In response to the court's decision, AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed gratitude and said, "Thank you SC for saving democracy in these difficult times!" The party sees this ruling as a crucial step in upholding democratic principles.
The Supreme Court had expressed concerns the day before about the possibility of horse trading in the context of the Chandigarh mayoral polls. To address the issues raised, the court proposed appointing a fresh Returning Officer, ensuring impartiality and adherence to democratic norms.
The bench, led by CJI DY Chandrachud, outlined a plan to appoint an unbiased Returning Officer, preferably an officer not aligned with any political party. The court directed the Deputy Commissioner to oversee the process, ensuring a transparent counting of ballots. The results were to be declared based on the stage reached before the result announcement, disregarding any defacement by the returning officer.
The court's oral directions included the production of the ballot papers before the court on the subsequent day, emphasizing the need for a fair and just resolution of the Chandigarh mayoral election controversy.
