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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court On Monday, we sought the entire election process, including ballot papers, videography and other documents, from the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana HC of Chandigarh Mayoral Elections. The top court also ordered the first meeting of the Chandigarh civic body scheduled for February 7 to be postponed indefinitely.
The apex judge was hearing a plea filed by PAA advise Kuldeep Singh challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order which refused to grant interim relief to the party seeking fresh Chandigarh mayoral elections.
The AAP-Congress alliance lost the elections despite having 20 councilors. Eight of the 36 votes were declared invalid by presiding authority Anil Masih, a non-voting appointed councilor. BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar got 16 votes, while AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Singh got 12 despite fielding 20 councillors.
In a hard-hitting critique of the process by which the returning officer canceled eight votes of the AAP-Cong combine, a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud said the RO (returning officer) appears to have defaced the ballot papers and must be prosecuted .
“This is a travesty of democracy. RO is assassinating democracy. We are simply appalled by what he is doing. Is this how elections are conducted by an RO? We will not allow democracy to be murdered by this way. The man defaces the ballot papers. at that time he sees a cross at the bottom,” the CJI said.
“Tell your RO that the SC is watching over him. We will not allow democracy to be murdered in this way. The only great stabilizing force in this country is the purity of democracy,” the CJI said.
The AAP called the poll “unconstitutional and illegal” and an act of “deshdroh” (treason). Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of “stealing” the elections.
AAP, Congress welcome SC observations
The AAP and Congress welcomed the top court’s observation and said it was a “close slap” in the face of the BJP.
Speaking to reporters, AAP leader Malvinder Singh Kang said the Supreme Court had observed that what happened in the Chandigarh municipal elections was a travesty of democracy.
“The entire nation witnessed the BJP’s style of work on January 30. Not only did it disrespect the mandate of the people of Chandigarh, it also damaged the trust of all citizens in our democracy,” Kang said.
Referring to the top court’s observations, Kang said they had restored people’s confidence in democracy and the judiciary.
“This is a severe slap to the BJP,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Pawan Bansal termed it a victory of truth.
“When we made these allegations, the BJP claimed to be honest. Now, where is the integrity of the BJP? The BJP conspired to win the municipal elections by undermining democratic values, which were first exposed in the people’s court , and now in court. “The BJP should apologize for its actions to the entire country,” Bansal said.
HS Lucky, Congress unit chief in Chandigarh, said the people of the Union Territory had turned to the Supreme Court for justice.
The row over the civic elections also sparked a massive political brawl over the weekend, with the AAP and the BJP staging protests and counter-protests within a few hundred meters of each other in the national capital . A total of 48 BJP workers and 15 Aam Aadmi Party workers were arrested while trying to cross the barricades during the protests.
(With inputs from PTI)
Watch ‘It is a travesty and murder of democracy’: Supreme Court on Chandigarh mayoral elections
The apex judge was hearing a plea filed by PAA advise Kuldeep Singh challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order which refused to grant interim relief to the party seeking fresh Chandigarh mayoral elections.
The AAP-Congress alliance lost the elections despite having 20 councilors. Eight of the 36 votes were declared invalid by presiding authority Anil Masih, a non-voting appointed councilor. BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar got 16 votes, while AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Singh got 12 despite fielding 20 councillors.
In a hard-hitting critique of the process by which the returning officer canceled eight votes of the AAP-Cong combine, a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud said the RO (returning officer) appears to have defaced the ballot papers and must be prosecuted .
“This is a travesty of democracy. RO is assassinating democracy. We are simply appalled by what he is doing. Is this how elections are conducted by an RO? We will not allow democracy to be murdered by this way. The man defaces the ballot papers. at that time he sees a cross at the bottom,” the CJI said.
“Tell your RO that the SC is watching over him. We will not allow democracy to be murdered in this way. The only great stabilizing force in this country is the purity of democracy,” the CJI said.
The AAP called the poll “unconstitutional and illegal” and an act of “deshdroh” (treason). Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of “stealing” the elections.
AAP, Congress welcome SC observations
The AAP and Congress welcomed the top court’s observation and said it was a “close slap” in the face of the BJP.
Speaking to reporters, AAP leader Malvinder Singh Kang said the Supreme Court had observed that what happened in the Chandigarh municipal elections was a travesty of democracy.
“The entire nation witnessed the BJP’s style of work on January 30. Not only did it disrespect the mandate of the people of Chandigarh, it also damaged the trust of all citizens in our democracy,” Kang said.
Referring to the top court’s observations, Kang said they had restored people’s confidence in democracy and the judiciary.
“This is a severe slap to the BJP,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Pawan Bansal termed it a victory of truth.
“When we made these allegations, the BJP claimed to be honest. Now, where is the integrity of the BJP? The BJP conspired to win the municipal elections by undermining democratic values, which were first exposed in the people’s court , and now in court. “The BJP should apologize for its actions to the entire country,” Bansal said.
HS Lucky, Congress unit chief in Chandigarh, said the people of the Union Territory had turned to the Supreme Court for justice.
The row over the civic elections also sparked a massive political brawl over the weekend, with the AAP and the BJP staging protests and counter-protests within a few hundred meters of each other in the national capital . A total of 48 BJP workers and 15 Aam Aadmi Party workers were arrested while trying to cross the barricades during the protests.
(With inputs from PTI)
Watch ‘It is a travesty and murder of democracy’: Supreme Court on Chandigarh mayoral elections
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