Highlights of SC verdict in Chandigarh mayoral poll case

Following are the highlights of the judgement of the Supreme Court which on Tuesday declared defeated AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Kumar as mayor of Chandigarh.

* SC sets aside election result which declared Manoj Sonkar of BJP as mayor.

* SC orders prosecution of returning officer Anil Masih for allegedly making a false statement before the court.

* SC says the result declared by the returning officer, a nominated councillor, was clearly contrary to the law.

* SC says it is duty-bound to ensure that the process of electoral democracy is not allowed to be thwarted by such subterfuges.

* SC says court must step in exceptional situations to ensure that the basic mandate of electoral democracy, albeit at the local participatory level, is preserved.

* SC says that in eight ballot papers, which were invalidated by Masih, the votes were duly cast in favour of Kumar.

* SC says Masih had evidently put his mark on these eight ballot papers for the purpose of creating a ground for treating them as invalidly cast.

* SC directs the registrar (judicial) of the apex court to issue a notice to Masih to show cause as to why proceedings should not be initiated against him under section 340 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for allegedly making a false statement before the court.