Supreme Court-Ordered EVM Recount Overturns Haryana Panchayat Election Result
The recount, conducted on the Supreme Court premises, reversed the original outcome, declaring Mohit Kumar the winner over the previously announced victor, Kuldeep Singh.
PANIPAT ( Haryana )- In a landmark move, the Supreme Court of India has overturned the result of a 2022 sarpanch election in Buana Lakhu village, Panipat district, following an unprecedented court-monitored recount of votes from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The recount, conducted on the Supreme Court premises, reversed the original outcome, declaring Mohit Kumar the winner over the previously announced victor, Kuldeep Singh.
The election for the sarpanch post of Buana Lakhu Gram Panchayat, held on November 2, 2022, initially saw Kuldeep Singh declared the winner. However, Mohit Kumar, the runner-up, challenged the result, alleging discrepancies in the vote count.
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Kumar approached the Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-Election Tribunal in Panipat, which ordered a recount of votes from one polling booth (No. 69) on April 22, 2025.
This decision was later quashed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 1, 2025, prompting Kumar to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court. On July 31, 2025, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and N. Kotiswar Singh ordered a comprehensive recount of votes from all six polling booths (65 to 70), not just the disputed one.
The court directed the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer of Panipat to produce all EVMs and poll records before a court-appointed registrar. The recount, conducted on August 6, 2025, under the supervision of Supreme Court OSD (Registrar) Kaveri, was fully videographed to ensure transparency, with representatives and lawyers from both candidates present.
The recount revealed a significant shift in the results. Out of 3,767 votes cast, Mohit Kumar secured 1,051 votes, while Kuldeep Singh received 1,000, overturning the original declaration.
On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court accepted the registrar’s report, noting “prima facie no reason to doubt” its credibility, as it was videographed and signed by representatives of both parties.
The court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling and directed the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer to issue a notification within two days declaring Mohit Kumar the duly elected sarpanch.
Kumar is set to assume office immediately and will be sworn in on August 14, 2025, at the Israna BDO office. The court clarified that any remaining disputes could be raised before the election tribunal, but the registrar’s recount report would be considered final.
The resealed EVMs and records will be sent to the tribunal for inclusion in the official record. This first-of-its-kind exercise by the Supreme Court has drawn significant attention, with observers noting its implications for electoral integrity.
Author and columnist Devinder Sharma, commenting on the development, stated on social media post , “This exclusive report is damning. It only shows how people have to be doubly alert to save democracy.” The ruling underscores the judiciary’s commitment to ensuring transparency in even village-level elections, reinforcing the importance of every vote in India’s democratic process.
