New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Kuldeep Kumar as the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra quashed the decision by Returning Officer Anil Masih, who declared BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar as Chandigarh Mayor on January 30.

The order of the apex court came as it found that the Returning Officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots that were cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar so as to make them invalid.
Welcoming the Supreme Court judgement in the Chandigarh mayor polls declaring Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Kuldeep Kumar as the winner of the elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the verdict is a major victory for the INDIA bloc, adding that the BJP can be defeated with proper planning and strategy.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, "I think this has happened for the first time in India's history. We thank the Supreme Court. The situation in the country is such that a dictatorship is going on. Democracy is being trampled. All institutions are being trampled. At such a time, this decision of the Supreme Court holds a lot of significance for democracy."
The apex court today physically examined the ballot papers and found that they are not defaced. It directed that Kuldeep Kumar be declared mayor with 20 votes (12 votes which he received and 8 which were for him and were defaced by Masih).

Also, celebrations were held at the house of Kuldeep Kumar.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "dirty election manipulation and "institutional sabotage", Congress leaders on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court has saved democracy with its verdict in the Chandigarh Mayor election case.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi made a scathing attack on BJP after the Supreme Court verdict which quashed the election result and said that AAP's Kuldeep Kumar is the winner in the election for Chandigarh Mayor.

Rahul Gandhi said that Returning Officer Anil Masih, who was the Returning Officer for the election, was just a pawn in the conspiracy. "In the BJP's conspiracy to murder democracy Masih is just a pawn, behind it is 'face' of Modi," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
Supreme Court further directed the Registrar Judicial to issue notice to Anil Masih for perjury proceedings under Section 340 CrPC for making a false statement before the court that the mark was made on eight ballots as they were defaced. The bench slammed Masih saying he had "unlawfully altered the course of the mayoral election".
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi made a scathing attack on BJP after the Supreme Court verdict which quashed the election result and said that AAP's Kuldeep Kumar is the winner in the election for Chandigarh Mayor.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra quashed the decision by Anil Masih by which be declared BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar as Chandigarh Mayor on January 30.

On SC verdict on Chandigarh Mayor Elections, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, "I welcome the SC judgement. In fact, we should see that if the authority and credibility of institutions like the Election Commission is undermined, it doesn't augur well for a democracy. I am surprised that it took the SC to intervene and set the record straight. It should set an example of the future functioning of the EC."

The order of the apex court came as it found that the Returning Officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots that were cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar to make them invalid. The apex court today physically examined the ballot papers and found that they are not defaced. It directed that Kuldeep Kumar be declared as mayor with 20 votes (12 votes which he received and 8 which were for him and were defaced by Masih).
Kharge said all Indians must fight the "onslaught on the Constitution" collectively.

"The Supreme Court has saved democracy from the fangs of an autocratic BJP, which resorted to dirty election manipulation. The institutional sabotage in the Chandigarh Mayor Polls is only the tip of the iceberg in Modi-Shah's devious conspiracy to trample Democracy. All Indians must fight this onslaught on our Constitution, collectively. Never forget. Our Democracy shall be at a crossroads in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections!" Kharge posted on X.

On the Supreme Court's decision on the Chandigarh Mayor elections, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, "Somewhere we had lost hope for justice. People had lost hope in the judiciary as well. Today's verdict by the Supreme Court is the victory of democracy."

On the Supreme Court's decision on the Chandigarh Mayor election, Punjab Minister and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema said, "BJP is destroying all our democratic institutions one by one. BJP is continuously working to destroy democracy. I want to thank AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal despite so many difficulties, continued this fight to save democracy. It has become clear to the country like a mirror that the country is in danger from BJP. Those who made this conspiracy, action should be taken against them."