Chandigarh, Jan. 27 -- The Supreme Court has appointed Justice Jaishree Thakur, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as an Independent Observer to oversee the Chandigarh Mayoral Elections slated for January 30. The order came in response to a plea filed by Chandigarh Mayor Kuldeep Kumar of the Aam Aadmi Party, who sought fair conduct of the elections.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh passed the order after hearing both sides. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Municipal Corporation, said that the Corporation had no objections to the appointment of an Independent Observer. The Court ordered that the election proceedings should be conducted in the physical presence of the Observer and be fu...