5 February (Ozi News Desk )
The Supreme Court strongly criticized the Returning Officer for defacing the ballot papers in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, describing it as an “assault on democracy.” The court ordered that all records of the election be securely kept with the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and directed the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner to hand over relevant documents to the High Court Registrar General. Additionally, the court stayed the upcoming meeting of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and preserved the ballots and videography. The CJI expressed shock at the Presiding Officer’s behavior in the video and questioned why he was acting like a fugitive. The dispute between the AAP and BJP over the mayoral polls had reached the Supreme Court, with Kumar challenging the high court’s decision not to stay the election results. The high court issued a notice to the Chandigarh Administration to respond to Kumar’s petition within three weeks.