Supreme Court Appoints Observer for Chandigarh Mayoral Elections

New Delhi, Jan 27 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday appointed an independent observer to oversee the voting process for the Chandigarh mayoral elections scheduled for January 30.

The decision came after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and current Chandigarh mayor Kuldeep Kumar approached the Court, requesting that the elections be conducted by a “show of hands” instead of a secret ballot.

A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh clarified that the appointment of an independent observer is aimed solely at ensuring fair conduct of the elections.

The Bench noted no objections from the State and ordered that the election process be conducted in the presence of the observer, with the entire event being Videographed.

Justice Jaishree Thakur, a former judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, has been appointed as the independent observer for the elections.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh, representing Kumar, highlighted irregularities in the 2024 Chandigarh mayoral elections, where ballot papers were selectively defaced by Returning Officer (RO) Anil Masih to favour the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.

The Court overturned the RO’s declaration last year, ultimately declaring the AAP candidate as the winner.

Singh emphasized that the current petition was filed to avoid a recurrence of similar issues. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, representing the Chandigarh Administration, did not object to the observer’s appointment but cautioned against setting a precedent for elections in other municipal bodies.

“The intention meeting of the corporation shall not be subject to the observer. He shall only ensure fairness,” SG Mehta added, expressing confidence that history may not repeat itself.

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