New Delhi:
The Chandigarh Mayor elections controversy has come underneath the lens of the Supreme Court docket, which declared as we speak that it could not permit the “homicide of democracy” and ordered the Registrar Common to safe all of the information by 5 pm as we speak. The courtroom will hear the case on February 12.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Get together — which misplaced the Mayoral election held final month to the BJP — has accused the Presiding Officer of rigging the election and demanded that he be arrested for “tampering” with poll papers. Eight votes had been declared invalid, which turned the election in favour of the BJP regardless of the numbers favouring the AAP Congress alliance.
AAP has held mega protests in Delhi and Chandigarh over the difficulty and went to courtroom, contending that the Returning Officer, Anil Masih, was caught on digital camera smudging the poll papers.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha claimed that every one eight votes declared “invalid” by Mr Masih had been for his get together candidate. Had these votes counted, the AAP would have received. The Congress alleged that the BJP employees tore up the poll papers and their agent was not allowed to see them.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud mentioned what the Returning Officer did “was just like the homicide of democracy”. “It’s clearly seen within the video that he’s wanting into the digital camera and spoiling the poll paper… Authorized motion needs to be taken in opposition to this officer,” the Chief Justice of India mentioned, whereas listening to the petition by AAP.
The three-judge bench of Chief Justice Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra, has additionally put a freeze on the finances session of the Chandigarh civic physique, which was anticipated to be offered on Tuesday. The finances can’t be offered until additional orders, the judges mentioned.
In its petition, AAP had alleged that the elections weren’t carried out in a free and honest method. Poll papers had been tampered with and outcomes had been declared in favor of BJP.
AAP has referred to as for canceling the election, sealing the information, banning the mayor from assuming workplace, an investigation into the rigging and a contemporary election underneath the supervision of a retired choose of the Excessive Court docket.
The get together went to the highest courtroom after a bench of Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Harsh Bangar of Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket refused to grant it any interim reduction.
The BJP had swept the mayoral polls, in a setback to the AAP-Congress alliance, which had claimed the election was an acid take a look at for the INDIA bloc.
BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar defeated AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar, polling 16 votes in opposition to his rival’s 12. Eight votes had been declared invalid. The BJP has 14 councillors within the 35-member company, AAP 13 and the Congress, seven.