Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar. (File photo)

Chandigarh Mayor gets interim bail in cheating case ahead of local polls

The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted interim bail to Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, allowing him to vote in the mayoral election. He faces corruption charges over a job scam.

by · India Today

In Short

  • AAP sought expedited hearing after charges of cheating against Chandigarh Mayor
  • Chandigarh mayoral polls reserve seat for a woman councillor this year
  • BJP gains edge with Congress councillor's defection; now has 16 councillors

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, allowing him to vote in the mayoral elections today.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had petitioned the High Court for an expedited hearing. On Wednesday, Chandigarh Police filed charges against Kuldeep Kumar and his brother-in-law, Rahul, for cheating and corruption.

The case was initiated following a complaint from Ravi, a resident of Ram Darbar. He claimed he paid Rs 75,000 to Rahul, who allegedly promised him a job as a sanitation worker. According to the complaint, the payments were made through UPI transactions on September 10, 11, and 13. Ravi said that despite making the payments, he did not receive the promised job.

CHANDIGARH MAYORAL POLLS

The Chandigarh mayor serves a one-year term. This year, the position is reserved for a woman councillor. The contest is between Prem Lata of the AAP and Harpreet Babla of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor will also be elected from among the councillors.

A candidate needs 19 of the 36 votes to win. The recent defection of Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat to the BJP has changed the balance in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The BJP now has 16 councillors, while the AAP and Congress together hold 20 votes, including that of Chandigarh Member of Parliament Manish Tewari.

Last year’s mayoral election was marked by allegations of misconduct involving BJP councillors and presiding officer Anil Masih. The matter was taken to the Supreme Court, which made critical observations. After the court’s intervention, elected BJP mayor Manoj Sonkar resigned, and Kuldeep Kumar of the AAP-Congress alliance was declared the winner.