Full Breakdown
Supreme Court Orders Fresh Elections in 50 Punjab Municipal Wards
By Drooid · · How we work
What the Court Ordered
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant set aside the results of elections in 50 municipal wards across Punjab’s Patiala and Moga districts and directed fresh polls within six weeks. The order, issued on September 28, requires a monitoring committee—headed by a retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge—to oversee every stage of the re-election.
Background & Context
The original civic-body elections were held on December 21 2024. Petitioners alleged that AAP candidates and police officials prevented opposition nominees from filing papers, assaulted them, and failed to videograph the nomination process despite a High Court direction.
The Supreme Court appointed a one-member Fact-Finding Commission on March 24 2025, headed by Justice Nirmaljit Kaur (retired). The commission examined claim petitions, affidavits, CCTV footage, photographs, voter records and statements from election officials and observers.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 21 2024 | Municipal elections held in Patiala and Moga districts. |
| March 24 2025 | Supreme Court appoints Justice Nirmaljit Kaur to lead fact-finding commission. |
| November 18 2025 | Commission’s report finds 50 ward elections vitiated. |
| September 28 | Supreme Court orders fresh polls in the 50 wards and mandates judicial monitoring. |
| October 7 | Order made publicly available. |
Data & Statistics
- 28 wards in Patiala Municipal Corporation.
- 22 wards in Moga district: 7 in Dharamkot municipal council and 15 in Baghapurana municipal council.
- Wards found vitiated for “forcible prevention of nominations” include Patiala wards 1, 12, 32, 33, 36, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 50, 51, 52 and 4, 6, 14, 16, 22, 26, 28, 37, 38, 40, 46, 53, 55, 57.
- Ward 34 was set aside because candidate Gaurav Kumar was prevented from filing his nomination.
Official Statements & Responses
- The bench—Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana—ordered the re-election be completed within six weeks and that the schedule be notified after the monitoring committee is constituted.
- Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for the Punjab government, said the state had no objection to the commission’s recommendations.
- The court directed the Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice to appoint senior Bar members as observers and to ensure that filing, scrutiny, symbol allocation and polling are videographed.
- The state must furnish a ward-wise list of election officials and police officers of DSP rank and above before nominations open and bear the costs of the monitoring mechanism.
Criticism & Opposition
- Jai Inder Kaur, BJP Mahila Morcha president, called the order a “victory of democracy”.
- Anuj Khosla, BJP state youth wing president, said the decision “reaffirmed people’s faith in democracy” and pledged to contest all 28 Patiala wards.
- Congress mayor Kundan Gogia defended the AAP’s development record but acknowledged the senior deputy mayor’s and deputy mayor’s elections were nullified.
What’s Next
- Within one week, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice must constitute the monitoring committee.
- The re-election schedule will be issued after the committee’s formation.
- All nomination, scrutiny, symbol allocation and polling activities will be videographed with appointed observers.
- The Chief Justice of the High Court will give final approval before results are declared, ensuring the fresh polls are conducted free of the irregularities that prompted the Supreme Court’s intervention.