Supreme Court Declares AAP Councillor Kuldeep Kumar as Chandigarh Mayor

Chandigarh Mayoral Polls: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Aam Aadmi Party councillor Kuldeep Kumar as the Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, setting aside the election of BJP candidate as declared by Presiding Officer Anil Masih. The top court ordered that 8 votes which were treated as invalid, were validly passed in favour of AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar and says counting the eight votes for him will make him have 20 votes. 

The 3-judge bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud directed the Registrar Judicial to serve notice to Returning Officer Anil Masih for perjury proceedings due to his false statements made before the court. 

Masih is facing perjury proceedings under Section 340 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) for informing the Court that marks were made on 8 ballots due to defacement. However, the Court found that the ballots were not defaced until after the poll results were declared.

‘Thank You, SC For Saving Democracy’

Following the ruling, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal thanked the apex court for its decision in the Chandigarh mayoral polls case. "Thank you SC for saving democracy in these difficult times," Kejriwal said in a post on X.

When Kuldeep Broke Down in Front of Media

On Jan 30, Kuldeep Kumar, the AAP candidate for the Chandigarh Mayor's post, was visibly distraught while addressing the media following his loss to BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar by just two votes.  Kumar broke down, expressing his disappointment at the outcome. The picture was widely circulated on social media. 

What Happened on Jan 30?

The BJP won the Chandigarh mayoral polls on January 30 defeating the AAP-Congress alliance candidate after the returning officer declared as invalid eight votes of the coalition partners, drawing accusations of tampering with ballots.

Manoj Sonkar of the BJP defeated Kuldeep Kumar after polling 16 votes against his rival's 12 to bag the mayor's post. Sonkar, however, resigned subsequently, while three AAP councillors defected to the BJP.