Returning officer for Chandigarh mayoral poll Anil Masih tenders apology in Supreme Court

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, April 5

Returning officer for the Chandigarh mayoral poll Anil Masih —- who faced the Supreme Court’s wrath for defacing ballot papers — tendered an unconditional apology before the top court on Friday and said he would withdraw his earlier affidavit.

On behalf of Masih, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi told a Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud, “We have tendered an unconditional apology. He will withdraw the first affidavit and surrender to the magnanimity of this court. This is an unconditional apology.”

As senior advocate AM Singhvi opposed Masih’s apology on behalf of Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, the Bench posted the matter for hearing on July 23. Deprecating Masih’s conduct in unlawfully changing the result of the mayoral poll, the top court had on February 20 ordered the initiation of criminal proceedings against him under Section 340 of the CrPC for ballot tampering. Setting aside the poll results, the Supreme Court had declared AAP-Congress candidate Kuldeep Kumar the winner.

Denying the allegations of ballot tampering, Masih had, in his earlier affidavit filed in response to the February 20 order issuing him contempt of court notice, alleged two AAP representatives snatched some ballot papers and mutilated those. After they along with others fled with the ballot papers, the same had to be retrieved by marshalls of the House, he had claimed.

Masih had said he went for counselling to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, soon after a purported video of the election process was leaked. Media coverage of the incident offended his privacy and mental health, for which he has taken two online consultations with experts, Masih had said in the affidavit which he chose to withdraw on Friday.

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