Supreme Court Cancels Polls in 50 Punjab Wards, Orders Fresh Elections Under Judicial Watchਸੁਪਰੀਮ ਕੋਰਟ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ 50 ਵਾਰਡਾਂ ਦੀ ਚੋਣ ਰੱਦ, ਨਿਆਂਇਕ ਨਿਗਰਾਨੀ ਹੇਠ ਮੁੜ ਚੋਣਾਂ ਦਾ ਹੁਕਮ

The Supreme Court has cancelled local body elections in 50 Punjab wards and ordered fresh polls, saying a fact-finding commission found the contests in those wards vitiated. Twenty-eight of the wards are in Patiala and 22 are in Moga district, according to The Tribune.

The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, accepted the report of a one-member commission headed by Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Punjab's civic body elections were held in May 2026.

Which wards will vote again?

Fresh elections will be held in 28 wards of the Patiala Municipal Corporation, all 15 wards of the Baghapurana Municipal Council and seven wards of the Dharamkot Municipal Council, both in Moga district, according to reports. The Tribune said the court expects the re-elections to be concluded within six weeks.

Petitioners from different parties had alleged that members of the ruling AAP, police officials and unknown persons stopped them from filing nomination papers, assaulted them and snatched their documents. The court's order says its directions should not be read as a finding of criminal liability against any official or political figure.

What did the commission find?

According to Punjabi Jagran, the commission found obstruction at a wide scale during the filing of nominations and held that the election process was vitiated in 28 Patiala wards. It also reported solid evidence of bogus and double voting in two other Patiala wards, 15 and 58, and irregularities in seven Dharamkot wards and all 15 Baghapurana wards.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Punjab government, told the court the state had no objection to the commission's recommendations, Punjabi Jagran reported.

How will the new polls be monitored?

The court asked the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to appoint, within a week, a Monitoring Committee headed by a retired High Court judge to oversee the process from notification to results. Two or three senior Bar members are to act as observers.

Nomination filing, scrutiny, symbol allocation and polling are to be videographed in the observers' presence, and the recordings preserved for the committee. The state must hand over a ward-wise list of officials on duty, including police officers of DSP rank and above. The schedule will be notified only after the committee is in place, and results will be declared only once the Chief Justice is satisfied the process was free and fair. The Punjab government will bear the cost, according to Babushahi.

What happens next?

The Tribune reported that Patiala's Municipal Corporation had put its General House and Finance and Contracts Committee meetings on hold awaiting the detailed written order. It said the State Election Commission can hold the polls in November, as the state government had agreed before the court. The court clarified that the directions rest on the peculiar facts of these cases and are not a precedent for future by-elections.

How many wards will have fresh elections in Punjab?

Fifty: 28 in the Patiala Municipal Corporation and 22 in Moga district, made up of all 15 Baghapurana wards and seven Dharamkot wards.

Who will monitor the re-elections?

A Monitoring Committee headed by a retired High Court judge, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, with Bar members as observers and video recording of the process.

When will the fresh polls be held?

The Tribune said the court wants them concluded within six weeks. The schedule will be notified only after the Monitoring Committee is constituted.