BREAKING: Chandigarh Mayoral Election: Returning Officer Anil Masih Should Be Prosecuted, Says SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday slammed Returning Officer Anil Masih for his position within the alleged defacement of poll papers in the course of the Chandigarh mayoral election and mentioned that he must be prosecuted. The prime courtroom additionally proposed that outcomes for the Chandigarh mayoral polls be declared by counting the current poll papers, disregarding the marks made by Returning Officer Anil Masih as a substitute of holding recent elections.

Chandigarh Mayor ballot | Supreme Court remarks that Anil Masih, returning officer in Chandigarh Mayor election, must be prosecuted as he was interfering with the election course of.
— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2024

The prime courtroom, whereas listening to a petition on the alleged irregularities within the Chandigarh mayoral election, additionally expressed considerations over alleged horse-trading after the mayoral polls. “We are deeply involved in regards to the horse-trading which is going down…” the SC bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud mentioned. 

The apex courtroom additionally directed the administration to offer safety to the judicial officer and safeguard the data. It additionally requested the HC registrar basic to depute a judicial officer to carry poll papers, and movies for its perusal on Tuesday.

Earlier in the course of the listening to, the Supreme Court grilled Masih over his conduct concerning his conduct in the course of the controversial Mayoral elections in Chandigarh. Responding to the Supreme Court, Masih admitted that he put an ‘X’ mark on 8 poll papers. Masih mentioned that he was individually marking poll papers which have been defaced by the voters, in order that they would not get combined up.

On February 5, the bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra heard a petition filed by the AAP candidate and slammed Masih for his conduct and directed him to elucidate his conduct as presiding officer within the Chandigarh Mayor elections to the highest courtroom in individual in subsequent listening to. The CJI had referred to as what transpired in mayoral elections a “murder of democracy”.

 “It is obvious that he defaced the ballot papers. Is this the way he conducts the elections? This is a mockery of democracy. This is a murder of democracy. This man should be prosecuted! Tell him the Supreme Court is watching him,” CJI Chandrachud mentioned whereas passing orders. The courtroom had expressed dismay over the movies that surfaced from the elections and requested why Masih was wanting on the CCTV digicam whereas counting poll papers. 

The AAP and Congress have accused Masih of tampering with ballots to favour BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar. It is alleged by the INDIA bloc candidate Kuldeep Kumar that Masih rejected 8 votes as invalid whereas counting by forgery and BJP gained elections by fraud.

On January 30, Manoj Sonkar, the Mayor candidate from BJP was declared the Mayor after successful 16 votes towards the 12 votes obtained by the Congress-AAP candidate Kumar.

On February 18, simply in the future earlier than the following listening to within the Supreme Court, the BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar resigned from the Mayor’s workplace. In one other key growth earlier than the listening to, three Chandigarh AAP Councillors Gurcharan Kala, Punam Devi and Neha Musawat joined the BJP.