The political landscape of Chandigarh witnessed a flurry of activity as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Kuldeep Kumar took decisive action, of moving to the Supreme Court following the Punjab and Haryana High Court's refusal to grant an immediate stay on the election result that saw a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate declared as the Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

The controversy stemmed from the victory of BJP's Manoj Sonkar, who secured 16 votes against the 12 garnered by the Congress-AAP candidate, Kuldeep Kumar. The process also saw the rejection of eight votes as invalid. Kumar challenged the outcome, alleging fraud in the BJP's win and forgery in the rejection of these invalidated votes.

However, the response from the High Court disappointed many, as it merely issued a notice and scheduled a hearing three weeks later, on February 26. This decision prompted Kumar to escalate the matter to the highest judicial authority, filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the High Court's order. The petition contests the High Court's failure to grant interim relief or direct the preservation of electoral records, highlighting concerns about potential abuse of public office and breach of public trust.

The crux of the argument presented in the petition revolves around the assertion that the irregularities observed were not merely indicative of an election dispute but rather pointed to a fundamental violation of democratic principles. The petition contends that the High Court should have intervened to prevent further damage to the integrity of the electoral process by staying the operation of the notification appointing Sonkar as Mayor.

Kumar's petition also sheds light on the alleged misconduct during the election process, specifically pointing out the actions of the Presiding Officer, Anil Masih. It highlights instances where party nominees were denied the opportunity to monitor vote counting, raising serious concerns about transparency and fairness.

Videos from the election, according to the petition, reveal disturbing evidence of tampering and manipulation by the Presiding Officer, further corroborating claims of electoral malpractice. Despite objections raised by AAP and Congress representatives, the Presiding Officer reportedly proceeded with the declaration of results without adequately addressing the concerns regarding the invalidated votes.