Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar has petitioned the Supreme Court to conduct the January 30, 2025, mayoral elections via ‘show of hands’ for transparency, following alleged irregularities in 2024. The Court is considering appointing an independent observer to ensure fair voting and has announced a hearing for January 27, 2025, while proceeding with the elections.
Chandigarh: Chandigarh Mayor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kuldeep Kumar has approached the Supreme Court, requesting that voting for the upcoming Chandigarh mayoral elections on January 30, 2025, be conducted through a ‘show of hands’ instead of a secret ballot. The plea aims to ensure transparency and prevent irregularities.
On Friday, a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the Chandigarh administration, seeking its response on whether an independent observer could be appointed to oversee the elections. The Court emphasized that its primary concern was to ensure free and fair choices for voters during the elections.
The Court stated,
“Issue notice for the limited purpose of appointing an Independent Observer to conduct the election scheduled to be held on January 30, 2025. The election process to continue.”
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It also expressed its inclination to appoint a retired judge to supervise the polls, ensuring transparency and fairness.
Kuldeep Kumar, represented by Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh, highlighted concerns about past irregularities in the 2024 mayoral elections. According to Kumar, ballot papers were selectively defaced by Returning Officer (RO) Anil Masih to declare the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate as the winner.
Following Kumar’s appeal to the Supreme Court last year, the Court overturned the RO’s decision and declared Kumar the winner. Based on this experience, Kumar urged the Court to mandate a ‘show of hands’ voting process for the upcoming elections to avoid similar issues.
The Court also discussed the disputed tenure of Kuldeep Kumar’s mayoral term. Although the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that his term would last for 12 months, it calculated the period from January 30, 2024, the date of the earlier disputed results. However, Kumar was only officially declared the winner on February 20, 2024, after the Supreme Court’s intervention.
Justice Surya Kant noted,
“You are declared elected on 20 February. Now the question is once that election has been set aside, are you not for all intents and purposes a Mayor from the very date of inception?”
Senior Advocate Singh also suggested appointing a neutral observer from Punjab or Haryana to supervise the election and ensure fairness. The Court has sought the Chandigarh administration’s response to this proposal.
The matter is set for further hearing on January 27, 2025. Meanwhile, the election process will continue as planned.
Case Title – KULDEEP KUMAR VERSUS U.T. CHANDIGARH & ORS.
Read the Order here:
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