In the wake of the Supreme Court labeling the invalidation of ballots during the Chandigarh mayoral elections as a travesty of democracy, the Aam Aadmi Party circulated a video allegedly showing the vote tampering by the presiding officer, indicated as evidence of the BJP’s authoritarian acts. The AAP accused the BJP’s candidate of winning the disputed election despite the numerical majority of the Congress-AAP alliance in the council, after the officer, Anil Masih, dismissed eight votes as invalid.
During an incensed court session, the Supreme Court expressed horror at the actions of Anil Masih, the Returning Officer. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud openly criticized the conduct as a desecration of democracy and insisted on prosecuting the officer, highlighting the sanctity and fundamental nature of fair electoral processes in democracy. The Supreme Court intervened to ensure the preservation of the election records and commanded Anil Masih to appear in court. The controversy prompted Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s Chief Minister, and Punjab’s Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, to protest accusing the BJP of electoral theft.
On hearing AAP’s petition over the contested election, in which AAP and Congress together lost against the BJP due to the invalidated votes, the Supreme Court admonished the behavior of the Returning Officer and ordered the securing of election records. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud reacted sharply when shown a video of the vote counting process and emphasized the imperativeness of unimpeachable election procedures. The Chandigarh mayoral election also saw AAP move to court for allegations of unfair practices and tampering, demanding the arrest of the involved officer. The BJP emerged victorious in the M.C. elections despite AAP-Congress alliance’s claims of rigging, with BJP’s Manoj Sonkar winning against the AAP’s candidate amidst the invalidation of votes.