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Supreme Court Sets Aside Punjab Municipal Elections in 50 Wards and Orders Fresh Polls
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News18•08-10-2026, 14:45
Supreme Court Sets Aside Punjab Municipal Elections in 50 Wards and Orders Fresh Polls
- •The Supreme Court ordered fresh elections in 50 municipal wards across Patiala and Moga districts in Punjab.
- •The decision follows a fact-finding commission report that revealed widespread obstruction, assault, and destruction of nomination papers during the previous local body polls.
- •The entire re-election process must be completed within six weeks under strict judicial oversight.
- •The top court mandated that the nomination and polling processes be fully videographed in the presence of designated high court observers.
- •The Punjab government raised no objections to the commission recommendations and will bear all logistical and security expenses for the monitoring committee.
Key Questions Answered
The Supreme Court ordered fresh elections after accepting a fact-finding commission's report that revealed widespread obstruction during the nomination process, including snatched or destroyed nomination papers and candidates being assaulted, detained, or threatened.
The one-member fact-finding commission was headed by Nirmaljit Kaur, a former high court judge.
The Supreme Court directed that the entire process of re-election in the 50 relevant wards must be completed within six weeks.
