The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by the Uttarakhand State Election Commission (SEC) challenging a High Court order that struck down its circular allowing candidates whose names appeared in multiple electoral rolls to contest panchayat elections.

Along with upholding the High Court’s ruling, the Supreme Court also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the Uttarakhand poll panel.

The Uttarakhand High Court had earlier ruled that the SEC’s clarification went against the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act, 2016. The law makes it clear that a person cannot be enrolled as a voter in more than one place at the same time. The SEC’s order, however, allowed such candidates to contest, leading to a legal challenge.

The State Election Commission then approached the Supreme Court challenging the Hi

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