08 October,2026 02:57 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. File pic
The Supreme Court has ordered fresh elections in 50 municipal wards in Punjab after a fact-finding commission found "widespread obstruction during the nomination process" in the local body polls.
A bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana set aside elections in 50 wards, 28 in Patiala district and 22 in Moga, as per PTI.
The apex court passed the order after accepting the findings of a one-member commission headed by former high court judge Nirmaljit Kaur.
The local body elections took place on December 21, 2024, in Punjab. The commission was appointed on March 24, 2025, and it submitted its report on November 18, 2025.
The court stated, "The principal finding of the Commission is of widespread obstruction during the nomination process, whereby nomination papers were snatched, torn, or destroyed, and candidates were assaulted, detained, or threatened."
The bench in its September 28 order, which was uploaded on October 8, stated, "We accept the recommendations and direct that fresh elections be conducted in the relevant 50 wards."
The Supreme Court noted the submission of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Punjab government, that the state has no objection to the commission's recommendations.
The top court asked the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to nominate at least two or three senior members of the high court bar to act as 'observers' in the re-election process.
"The filing, scrutiny/submission of nomination forms, allocation of symbols, polling, etc. shall be videographed in the presence of the said Observers. The recordings shall be duly preserved and handed over to the Monitoring Committee.
The bench also said, "The State of Punjab shall furnish to the Monitoring Committee, before the filing of nominations begins, a ward-wise list of the officers/officials deployed on election duty. Further, the list of police officers on duty in the rank of DSP and above shall also be furnished," as per PTI.
The apex court said that any complaint concerning interference with, or obstruction of, the re-election process by any person, including any official, may be made to the Monitoring Committee.
It also mentioned, "The honorarium as well as the incidental expenses of the Monitoring Committee and the Observers shall be borne by the Government of Punjab, which shall also provide them with the necessary secretarial, transportation, logistical, and security support," as per PTI.
Several candidates who were allegedly not allowed to file their nomination papers, or those who were aggrieved by the election of mayor and deputy mayor in the Patiala municipal body, moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
On January 10, 2025, the High Court allowed the elections in the Patiala municipal corporation, saying the deferment in some wards would not be an impediment. Aggrieved by the order, the candidates moved the apex court.
(With inputs from PTI)
