Supreme Court Orders Recount in Chandigarh Mayoral Election, Invalid Votes Declared Valid

The Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on Tuesday regarding the Chandigarh mayoral election. A three-member bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud directed that the eight ballots that were initially deemed invalid be considered valid. This decision reshaped the outcome of the election, leading to the declaration of AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the Mayor.

The judiciary found that a legal anomaly had occurred during the election process. Initially, the petitioner received 12 votes, but eight ballots were wrongfully invalidated. After rectification, these eight votes significantly impacted the results in favor of the petitioner, resulting in his victory.

It was indicated that the Returning Officer, Anil Masih, had unlawfully manipulated the election proceedings. The actions of the Returning Officer were questionable and considered unethical by the Supreme Court. Anil Masih had altered the ballots in a manner that breached electoral guidelines.

The Supreme Court highlighted that these ballots wrongly disqualified by Anil Masih should count towards the final vote tally. Subsequently, the victory was awarded to the AAP mayoral candidate, shifting the power dynamics in Chandigarh.