Chandigarh mayor polls: HC issues notice to presiding officer Anil Masih, Mayor Manoj Sonkar

On Wednesday, appearing for Kumar, Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh apprised the bench about the elections process and contended that the presiding officer for the elections process had played a fraud. And even though elections were directed by HC to be conducted at 10 am, the officials arrived late at the poll venue, said Singh.

The petitioner’s counsel also submitted the same thing happened last year as well.

Opposing the petition, the UT Administration Senior Standing Counsel, Anil Mehta argued before the Bench that the plea was not maintainable under Article 226 of the Constitution.

The bench also issued notice to Presiding Officer Anil Masih and Mayor Manoj Kumar Sonkar, among others. However, the court did not grant interim relief to Kuldeep Kumar on restricting the newly elected BJP Mayor Manoj Kumar Sonkar from discharging his duties.

On Tuesday, soon after the results of the election for the post of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor as Congress were announced and AAP councillors accused Masih of rigging the polls at the behest of the BJP, Kumar had challenged the mayoral elections in the High Court.

Kumar had approached the High Court seeking directions to “hold the elections afresh after setting aside the process of the election that was carried out today” and called the poll “a result of complete fraud and forgery”. He sought “setting aside the process of Mayoral election” and alleged it to be a “result of complete fraud and forgery laid upon the democratic process by the respondents and especially Manoj Kumar Sonkar (the newly elected BJP Mayor) and the Presiding Officer Anil Masih”.

Kumar filed his petition through Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh, Advocates RPS Bara, KS Kharbanda and Ferry Sofat.