India, April 26 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notices to several top officials, including the deputy commissioner (DC), additional deputy commissioner (ADC), and Gurugram mayor Raj Rani Malhotra, following allegations that she used fake caste certificates to secure her candidature in the municipal elections. The controversy has triggered a political spat in Gurugram, with both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress trading accusations over the integrity of the electoral process.

The notices were issued after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed on April 9, by Yashpal Prajapati and others, who alleged that both Raj Rani Malhotra and Congress candidate Seema Pahuja, who contested again...