Top Court Orders Repoll In 50 Municipal Wards In Punjab Over "Vitiated" Election Process, Opposition Attacks AAP

The Supreme Court has set aside elections in 50 municipal wards of Punjab, including the wards of Patiala's senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. It has ordered fresh polls within six weeks under a monitoring mechanism overseen by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The 50 wards comprise 28 in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Patiala Municipal Corporation and 22 in the Dharamkot and Baghapurana municipal councils of Moga district.

Among the Patiala wards set aside are ward 28, represented by senior deputy mayor Harinder Kohli, and ward 12, represented by deputy mayor Jagdip Singh Rai, according to the corporation's list.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana passed the order on September 28, which was officially made available on October 7. The bench accepted the findings of a one-member commission headed by Nirmaljit Kaur, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The commission had found the elections in those wards "vitiated and deserving of being set aside".

The petitioners, described in the order as "associated with different National/State Political Parties", alleged, "Members of the ruling party, police officials, and unknown third parties prevented [prospective candidates] from submitting their nomination forms, including by physical assault, tearing of clothes, and snatching of the nomination papers." They also alleged that the nomination process was not video-recorded despite court directions.

On March 24, 2025, the court appointed Justice Nirmaljit Kaur (retired), with the consent of the parties, to conduct a fact-finding inquiry limited to the disputed wards.

What Probe Commission Found

The commission's report on November 18, 2025, recorded "widespread obstruction during the nomination process, whereby nomination papers were snatched, torn or destroyed, and candidates were assaulted, detained or threatened".

In Patiala, it found 13 wards were vitiated because opposition candidates were prevented from filing nominations. These were wards 1, 12, 32, 33, 36, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 50, 51 and 52. Another 14 wards here were affected because particular opposition candidates were "forcibly excluded from contesting", though it "could not determine whether their participation would have changed the result". These were wards 4, 6, 14, 16, 22, 26, 28, 37, 38, 40, 46, 53, 55 and 57. Ward 34 will see re-polling because a man called Gaurav Kumar was prevented from filing his nomination, the order noted. It also found "serious evidence of bogus/multiple voting and intimidation" in wards 15 and 58.

In Dharamkot, the commission found wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 and 13 vitiated "due to forcible prevention of nominations, coercive withdrawal or wrongful rejection". In Baghapurana, all 15 wards were found vitiated because of similar reasons.

How Re-Poll Will Be Conducted

The bench requested the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to appoint, within one week, a monitoring committee headed by a retired judge of that court. "The re-election schedule shall be notified only after the Monitoring Committee has been duly constituted," the bench said.

Two or three senior members of the High Court bar association will act as observers. Nominations, scrutiny, allocation of symbols and polling are to be videographed in their presence.

Before nominations open, Punjab must furnish ward-wise lists of officials on election duty and of police officers of the rank of DSP and above. The state will also bear the costs of the committee and the observers.

Results will be declared only after the Chief Justice of the High Court records satisfaction that the polls were conducted in a free and fair manner.

Opposition Attacks AAP

Welcoming the order, Mohit Mohindra, the Congress in-charge for Patiala Rural assembly seat, posted on X: "A historic step by the Hon'ble Supreme Court! Heartiest congratulations to the people of Patiala as the Supreme Court has paved the way for re-elections in 28 wards of the Patiala Municipal Corporation."

He said the Congress will "continue to stand firm and fight to protect democracy, constitutional rights, and the people's mandate".

BJP's Jai Inder Kaur also said the SC's order "exposes the AAP government". The state government was yet to react.