Lucknow: After a five-month legal battle, Samajwadi Party leader Lalit Tiwari was administered the oath as councillor from Faizullaganj Third Ward in Lucknow on Sunday following directions from the court. Mayor Sushma Kharkwal administered the oath, marking the first such instance in the 66-year history of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation where a councillor was sworn in under court orders.
The dispute pertains to Faizullaganj Third Ward where BJP candidate Pradeep Shukla Tinku had originally won the election by around 1,700 votes over SP candidate Lalit Tiwari. After the election, Tiwari approached the court alleging that Shukla had submitted incorrect information regarding his marital status in his election affidavit.
Around five months ago, an additional district judge’s court set aside the election of Pradeep Shukla and declared Lalit Tiwari elected from the ward. Since then, Tiwari had been seeking to take oath as councillor and had written to the municipal corporation, district administration, divisional commissioner’s office and the state government.
When no action was taken, he moved the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench seeking directions for the oath ceremony. Despite court orders, the oath was not administered immediately.
On May 21, the High Court took a strict view and froze the financial and administrative powers of Mayor Sushma Kharkwal over non-compliance with its directions. Around the same time, the mayor was admitted to Command Hospital. She had said she was unwell and would act after being discharged.
Kharkwal was discharged from the hospital on Saturday and administered the oath to Tiwari on Sunday morning at the municipal corporation headquarters.
Also Watch:
The development also triggered political debate within BJP circles. Some BJP councillors and party supporters argued on social media that instead of declaring the runner-up elected, fresh elections should have been conducted in the ward.
BJP councillor Anurag Mishra said while he respected the High Court order, the matter should have been handled in the same manner as the Abdullah Azam case in Rampur where fresh elections were held after the election was set aside over an incorrect affidavit.
After administering the oath, Mayor Sushma Kharkwal said she had complied with the High Court’s order after recovering from illness. She also maintained that since Pradeep Shukla had secured more votes than Lalit Tiwari, a re-election in the ward would have been more appropriate.
