The Supreme Court expressed strong disapproval of the "business of horse-trading" during the Chandigarh mayoral polls. The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, criticized Anil Masih, the returning officer, for putting his mark on ballot papers. The CJI questioned Masih's actions, asking why he defaced certain ballot papers and put X marks on them. Masih admitted to marking eight ballot papers but claimed he did so to set them apart.
