In a major setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the municipal elections, the nomination of its candidate from Ward No. 2 of the Samrala Municipal Council, Satveer Singh Sekhon, has been rejected following the intervention of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.The development came after Samrala SDM-cum-Returning Officer Gursimran Kaur appeared before the High Court and informed the Bench that the candidature of Sekhon had been cancelled. The court subsequently disposed of the petition.The controversy erupted after allegations surfaced that the AAP candidate had concealed his criminal record while filing nomination papers. Sekhon had reportedly been convicted in a cheating case in 2022.Sources said he had approached the High Court seeking suspension of his sentence and permission to contest the elections, but the plea was dismissed by the court on May 15.Despite this, his nomination papers were accepted the following day, triggering sharp objections from rival candidates.Akali Dal candidate Amandeep Singh challenged the acceptance of the nomination through advocate Gurvir Singh Dhillon.Taking serious note of the matter, the High Court had summoned the SDM-cum-Returning Officer on Friday and sought an explanation on how the nomination was accepted despite the rejection of relief to the candidate by the court.During the hearing, SDM Gursimran Kaur informed the court that Sekhon had concealed material facts regarding his conviction and, therefore, his nomination had now been rejected in accordance with election rules.