Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:27pm on 19 Feb 2024,Monday India
The Supreme Court ordered the production of ballot papers and the counting video from the Chandigarh mayoral polls by 2 pm on Tuesday, rebuking the Returning Officer for alleged malpractice. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud's bench demanded the appointment of a new non-political Returning Officer. The court expressed concern over "horse-trading" in the assembly and emphasized the need to halt such practices. BJP's victory prompted the AAP to seek fresh polls, citing fraud allegations against Returning Officer Anil Masih. A viral video showed Masih marking ballot papers while glancing at CCTV, raising fairness doubts. Masih's explanation failed to satisfy the court, prompting calls for his prosecution. "He has to be prosecuted. In an electoral democracy, this cannot be allowed," remarked the bench.
