Kapurthala Mayor Poll Dispute Reaches Punjab and Haryana High Court

PHAGWARA: The dispute over the election of the Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Kapurthala Municipal Corporation has reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A petition filed by Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh along with 26 Congress councillors has sought the quashing of the elections held on July 8, alleging that the entire electoral process was illegal and conducted in violation of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976.
The matter is listed for hearing before a Division Bench comprising Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Rupinder Chahal on Monday, July 14.
During the preliminary hearing, the Bench issued notice to the Punjab Government and directed it to produce the complete record of the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation held on July 8, including the proceedings, election records and the entire video recording of the meeting before the court.
Appearing for the petitioners, Senior Advocate Chetan Mittal, along with advocates Ajay Chaddha, Kunal Mulwani and others, submitted that in the Municipal Corporation elections held on May 26, 2026, the Congress and its supported candidates secured a clear majority by winning 27 of the 51 votes, including that of the MLA, while the ruling alliance and its supported councillors accounted for 24 votes. Despite the clear majority, the petitioners alleged that the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation was not convened within the statutory period prescribed under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act.
The petition further alleged that the delay in convening the meeting was deliberate and intended to exert pressure on the majority councillors. It also claimed that councillors opposing the ruling dispensation were allegedly threatened with false criminal cases.
According to the petition, although the first meeting was eventually convened on July 8 following the intervention of the High Court, the election process was conducted in an arbitrary and unlawful manner. The petitioners alleged that after the oath-taking ceremony, only the group of 24 councillors was addressed, while the majority group of 27 councillors was neither allowed to propose its candidate nor given an opportunity to participate in voting. Despite the absence of any voting process, the Presiding Officer allegedly declared the Mayor elected and left the venue.
The petition also alleged that no election was conducted for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. It further contended that despite administrative directions requiring complete videography of the proceedings, only selective portions of the meeting were recorded.
Seeking judicial intervention, the petitioners have prayed for preservation of the complete video recording, CCTV footage and all records relating to the election. They have also sought fresh elections for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor under the supervision of an independent observer to ensure a fair, transparent and lawful electoral process.
Taking cognisance of the allegations, the Division Bench has directed the Punjab Government to place the complete proceedings of the July 8 meeting, all relevant records and the full video recording before the High Court on July 14.