Aligarh Seat's Contested Election: High Court Intervenes

The Allahabad High Court ordered the preservation of all documents and CCTV footage from the 2024 Aligarh Lok Sabha election, following a petition by Samajwadi Party candidate Chaudhary Bijendra Singh. Singh claims irregularities in the vote count, leading to his defeat against BJP's Satish Gautam by 15,647 votes.

The Allahabad High Court has mandated the Election Commission to safeguard all records and CCTV footage pertaining to the 2024 electoral process in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh constituency. This directive follows an election petition by Samajwadi Party's Chaudhary Bijendra Singh, challenging the election results.

A panel comprising Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Vipin Chandra Dixit has provided the EC with four weeks to present a counter affidavit, setting the next court date for January 27, 2025. The legal challenge arose after Singh's narrow defeat to BJP candidate Satish Gautam by a margin of 15,647 votes.

Singh's plea includes allegations that 11 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were not opened during the tally, and electoral officers acted under undue influence. The court's order specifies that no related documents, including CCTV recordings and Form 17-C, are to be discarded until further notice.

(With inputs from agencies.)