Legal Battle Intensifies Over Delayed Oath of Lucknow Corporator

The Allahabad High Court has summoned Lucknow's mayor and officials to explain delays in swearing in a corporator elected by an election tribunal. Despite Lalit Kishore Tiwari's declared win, procedural disputes are withholding his official oath. Legal proceedings underscore complexities in electoral law and municipal governance.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has issued a directive for the city's mayor, municipal commissioner, and district magistrate to present themselves on Wednesday to address the prolonged delay in administering the oath to an elected corporator. The corporator, Lalit Kishore Tiwari, was declared the victor by an election tribunal.

Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai passed the order following a petition by Tiwari, who is also the general secretary of the Oudh Bar Association. Tiwari, elected from Ward No 73, Faizullaganj, represented the Samajwadi Party, while rival candidate Pradeep Kumar Shukla of the Bharatiya Janata Party was ousted due to electoral malpractice.

The court expressed concern that despite Tiwari's election confirmation on December 19, 2025, he remains unsworn. A pending first appeal against the tribunal's decision complicates the matter, yet advocates for Tiwari insist that the tribunal's order should be immediate and binding.