In Brief
A municipal election in Mumbai resulted in four ward councillor vacancies after returned candidates were disqualified for falsely claiming backward class status. The candidates with the second-highest votes filed election petitions seeking their declaration as elected, and also sought interim relief against the State Election Commission's notification for bye-elections. The Supreme Court held that while election petition pendency does not automatically defer bye-elections, the Commission must first determine whether another candidate can be deemed elected under the statutory scheme. The Court set aside the High Court judgment and remanded the matter for the Commission to take a fresh decision considering the specific statutory requirements and circumstances of each case.
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