Supreme court appoints independent observer for Chandigarh mayoral election

The Supreme Court on Monday appointed a former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge as an independent observer to monitor the voting for the upcoming mayoral election in Chandigarh, Bar and Bench reported.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh appointed Justice Jaishree Thakur for the role after Chandigarh Mayor and Aam Aadmi Party leader Kuldeep Kumar moved the court requesting that the election scheduled for January 30 be conducted by a “show of hands” and not a secret ballot.

Kumar initially filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the matter, The Indian Express reported. He also sought to defer the elections to February 20 on the grounds that he would be completing his tenure as mayor by then. However, the High Court declined his petition.

Subsequently, the Aam Aadmi Party leader moved the Supreme Court.

On Monday, the Supreme Court noted that it had issued notice on Kumar’s petition for the limited purpose of appointing an independent observer so that the elections could be conducted fairly, Bar and Bench reported.

The bench said that the election should be conducted in the presence of the independent observer, adding that the entire process must be recorded on camera. It also took into account the irregularities that took place during the mayoral elections in Chandigarh in...

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