Chandigarh Mayor election: The drama and the Supreme Court's rebuke for returning officer | Recap

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Supreme Court on Monday ordered that the ballot papers and video that have been taken into custody by the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court according to its order, be produced before the apex court on February 20 at 2 pm. The bench expressed concern over the "horse trading" and slammed Anil Masih, the Returning Officer for the Chandigarh Municipal polls, saying he must be prosecuted for "defacing ballot papers". During the hearing today, the bench asked Masih why he had made marks (ticks and x marks) on the ballot papers he was tasked to count.

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if any falsehood you will be prosecuted... Why were you looking into the camera and putting marks in the ballot papers?" asked CJI Chandrachud. He added that he had made the marks on eight ballot papers, only to set them apart.

"That means you marked it. He has to be prosecuted. In an electoral democracy, this cannot be allowed," the bench said.

"We are deeply concerned about the horse-trading which is taking place...," the bench said at the end of the hearing. The apex court was hearing a plea of AAP's councillor Kuldeep Dhalor after the BJP won the mayoral election following the Returning Officer's move of scrapping eight opposition votes. The AAP and the Congress have arrived at an understanding on contesting the Chandigarh mayoral polls in an alliance in January.

Under the arrangement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was to fight for the mayor's seat while the Congress was to contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. In the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP has 14 councillors. The