The Supreme Court, on Monday, reinstated Usha Sharma as the Mayor of Solan, terming her earlier disqualification as a manifestation of “political goondaism.” The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, made an earlier interim order permanent, which had previously stayed her disqualification, labeling it as “a case of male bias.”
During the proceedings, senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, representing the respondents, was briefly interjected by the bench, which expressed its reluctance to pass any strictures at that time, focusing instead on the political nature of the disqualification. Sharma’s legal counsel had requested the court to solidify last year’s interim decision, highlighting that her term would conclude the following year.
This legal battle stemmed from an order dated June 10, 2024, by the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which had upheld the notification disqualifying Sharma and former mayor Poonam Grover. They were removed from their positions as councilors of wards 12 and 8, respectively, under the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, for allegedly defying party directions during the mayoral elections on December 7, 2023.
The Supreme Court criticized the High Court’s rationale in maintaining the disqualifications and highlighted that the actions taken were excessively influenced by political biases rather than legal justifications. The top court’s ruling emphasized the necessity to uphold the democratic process and protect elected officials from politically motivated actions.
In the disputed mayoral election, Sharma, affiliated with the Congress party, won the mayorship while Meera Anand from the BJP was elected as the deputy mayor. However, internal disputes within the Congress led to allegations that Sharma and others had contravened the party’s directive by supporting an unauthorized candidate, leading to their initial disqualification.
