SC declares AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar winner of Chandigarh mayoral election.
Chandigarh Mayoral Election: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Aam Aadmi Party’s Kuldeep Kumar as the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral election. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra quashed the decision by Returning Officer Anil Masih by which be declared BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar as Chandigarh Mayor on January 30.
The order of the apex court came as it found that the Returning Officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots that were cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar so as to make them invalid.
The apex court today physically examined the ballot papers and found that they are not defaced. It directed that Kuldeep Kumar be declared as mayor with 20 votes (12 votes which he received and 8 which were for him and were defaced by Masih).
#WATCH | Chandigarh AAP workers celebrate following Supreme Court order on Mayor Elections.
Supreme Court ordered that AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar is declared to be the validly elected candidate for the post of Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
(Video: AAP PRO) pic.twitter.com/vqTAwk9U1y
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2024
“The eight votes which were treated as invalid by making those markings… counting the eight votes for the petitioner (AAP candidate Kumar) will make him have 20 votes. We direct that the election result by the Returning Officer is quashed. The petitioner is declared to be the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls,” the bench said in its order.
Reacting to the top court’s verdict, Kumar said, “This is the victory of truth. Democracy has been kept alive. I am very thankful for that…I thank all the leaders and the INDIA Alliance that voted for me. BJP will be exposed just like they were exposed here and they will face defeat everywhere.”
When asked about three AAP Councillors joining BJP, he said, “I hope they will come back. Maybe they went there after being led astray. But they were true soldiers of the party. Maybe they will come back.”
The top court had earlier said that it would direct recounting of votes polled in the controversial Chandigarh mayoral election and declaration of result after considering the eight “defaced” ballots which were declared invalid by the returning officer.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra has commenced hearing the plea of defeated AAP candidate for the election Kuldeep Kumar, accusing returning officer Anil Masih of electoral malpractices.
The top court is scrutinising the ballot papers and watching the video recordings which were brought before it by a judicial officer appointed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court’s Registrar General.
“We would like to see ballots which were invalidated,” the CJI said at the outset.