In a significant turn of events in the Chandigarh vote-count controversy, the Supreme Court made a noteworthy remark on Monday, calling for accountability in the allegedly rigged mayoral polls held on January 30. The court demanded the ballot papers used in the elections and directed the prosecution of the returning officer, Anil Masih.
The petition regarding the irregularities in the election, which followed the defection of three AAP councillors to the BJP, was heard by the apex court. Terming the reported ‘horsetrading’ as a serious concern, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, heading a three-judge bench, instructed Masih to appear before the court on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court ordered the presentation of the ballots secured before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, setting February 19 as the deadline for this submission.
Meanwhile, BJP Mayor Manoj Sonkar resigned from his post on Sunday night, just hours before the Supreme Court was scheduled to address the matter.
Three Aam Aadmi Party Chandigarh councillors – Punam Devi, Neha Musawat, and Gurcharan Kala – switched allegiance to the BJP in the presence of party National General Secretary Vinod Tawde in Delhi on Sunday night.
Vinod Tawde stated, “Chandigarh councillors Punam Devi, Neha Musawat, and Gurcharan Kala have joined BJP today. They are unhappy with the behaviour of their party with them. BJP will respect them, and they will contribute to the development of Chandigarh.”
Neha Musawat, expressing her reasons for joining the BJP, said, “AAP party made false promises to us. Today, after being inspired by the works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I have joined BJP.”
Gurcharan Kala also cited inspiration from PM Modi’s work as a reason for joining the BJP, stating, “I belonged to BJP, and I will also be with BJP… I have joined the party after getting inspired by the works of PM Modi…”
Manoj Sonkar of BJP emerged victorious in the Chandigarh mayoral elections on January 30, after eight votes from the INDIA bloc were invalidated. The Congress-AAP alliance alleged tampering with the ballot papers by the presiding officer, a claim refuted by the BJP.
The opposition accused Sonkar of winning through the presiding officer’s alleged tampering with ballot papers, purportedly caught on camera, invalidating eight votes of the Congress-AAP combine.
Subsequently, the Congress-AAP alliance approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the cancellation of the result and a re-election for the Chandigarh mayor position.
On February 5, the Supreme Court strongly criticized the presiding officer in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, noting evidence of defacing the ballot papers. The court made these remarks while hearing an AAP councillor’s plea challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that denied interim relief, seeking fresh mayoral polls in Chandigarh.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, leading a three-judge bench, demanded the presiding officer’s appearance on the next hearing date, scheduled for February 19.
