In
a landmark victory for the Aam Aadmi Party, the Supreme Court on Tuesday
declared party nominee Kuldeep Kumar as 'validly elected' Mayor of Chandigarh,
after directing eight 'invalid' votes to be treated as valid. The court also
directed the issuance of a show cause notice to returning officer Anil Masih.
These
eight votes were cast in favour of the AAP and were defaced by Masih.
During
the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud stated that the votes cast during the polls should be
counted again, with Masih's defaced ballots treated as valid.
Chandrachud
also stated that the ballot papers on which Masih left markings were those cast
in support of AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar.
Reacting
to the court's ruling, AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal thanked the apex court "for saving
democracy."
On Monday, the Supreme Court expressed concern at
the possibility of horse-trading against the backdrop of the Chandigarh mayoral
polls.