In an intriguing turn of events, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court, attributing it to “preserving democracy,” following its decision regarding the Chandigarh mayoral elections.
The apex court mandated a recount of votes in the Chandigarh mayoral poll and determined that eight ballots, initially invalidated by the Returning Officer, were indeed valid. Notably, these eight votes were in favor of AAP’s mayoral nominee, Kuldeep Kumar.
In a respectful and elegant manner, the AAP approached the Supreme Court seeking fresh elections following the BJP’s victory in the Chandigarh mayoral polls on January 30, where they secured all three positions, defeating the Congress-AAP alliance. The AAP accused Returning Officer Anil Masih of “fraud and forgery” during the election process.
A video surfaced, showing Anil Masih marking ballot papers while seemingly glancing at the CCTV. During the petition hearing, the Supreme Court summoned Anil Masih to appear before the bench. The bench raised questions regarding the viral video.
In response, Masih stated that all ballot papers were defaced, and he was merely marking them. He explained, “There were so many cameras that I was just looking at them.”
When asked why he marked the papers, Masih explained that it was to prevent them from being mixed up. The bench expressed concern, stating, “That means you marked it. He has to be prosecuted. In an electoral democracy, this cannot be allowed.”
The Supreme Court reprimanded the Returning Officer and ordered the submission of the ballot papers and video footage of the vote counting process in the Chandigarh mayoral polls on Tuesday.
