Justice Thakur to ‘observe’ poll process, visits MC office

Appointed by the Supreme Court earlier this week as an independent observer for the mayoral poll, Justice Jaishree Thakur today visited the MC office to oversee the arrangements and familiarise herself with the process.

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The election will be conducted under her direct supervision, with proceedings being recorded on camera. Justice Thakur, a citizen of Chandigarh, retired from the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the middle of last year, after nearly nine years on the Bench.

In a conversation with The Tribune, Justice Thakur said an observer's role is not too vast. "It is to observe and ensure the process is carried out in a fair and transparent manner," she said.

The Supreme Court's decision to appoint Justice Thakur as an independent observer follows a plea by Chandigarh's incumbent Mayor Kuldeep Kumar of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Kumar had sought a direction to the UT Administration to hold the mayoral election by show of hands instead of secret ballot to ensure fairness in the process. The Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, however, rejected the plea and said it would not interfere with the high court's view on this issue.

Given the controversy surrounding Chandigarh's mayoral elections -wherein the Supreme Court had set aside BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar's victory last year due to ballot-tampering allegations - the appointment of a neutral observer became crucial. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, stated, "History may not repeat itself every time," while not opposing the appointment of an independent observer.

The SC also directed authorities to record the election proceedings and mandated security arrangements to prevent any irregularities. The Returning Officer has been instructed to coordinate with Justice Thakur ahead of the polls to facilitate smooth conduct.