'Murder Of Democracy': SC Slams Presiding Officer's Conduct In Chandigarh Mayoral Polls

The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Returning Officer who held the Chandigarh Mayor elections and said the officer has "defaced the ballot papers."

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court raised serious concerns about the conduct of the Returning Officer, stating, "Is this the way he conducts the elections? This is a mockery of democracy. This is a murder of democracy. We are appalled. This man should be prosecuted. Is this the behaviour of a Returning Officer?"

The strong remarks came after the court examined evidence pointing to irregularities in the election process, specifically focusing on the defaced ballot papers. The judges emphasized the need for a thorough investigation and the possible prosecution of the Returning Officer responsible for overseeing the polls.

After watching the video, CJI said that the Presiding Officer was seen making alterations in the ballot paper. "He looks at the camera, and defaces the ballot obviously. Where there is a cross at the bottom (of the ballot paper), he puts it into the tray. The moment there is a cross at the top, the man defaces the ballot and looks at the camera. Tell him that the Supreme Court is watching him. We will not allow democracy to be murdered like this. The great stabilising force in the country is the purity of the election process," Live Law quoted the CJI as saying.

Kuldeep Kumar, who lost the Chandigarh mayor poll, took his case to the highest court, challenging the decision of the High Court to deny an immediate stay on the election results, which declared the BJP candidate as the Mayor.

Manoj Sonkar was announced the winner in the mayoral polls as he secured 16 votes compared to the 12 votes received by Kuldeep Tita, the candidate from the Congress-AAP.

The Resulting Officer declared eight votes invalid in the elections which led opposition leaders to raise allegations of rigging even as the Congress and AAP leaders attacked the BJP-led central government over the issue.