Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 16: The Supreme Court has pulled up the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its failure to trace the video recording of the vote counting process for the 2023 Sringeri assembly election in Karnataka.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva directed the poll body to produce all available records by the next hearing on February 15, 2027. The court issued a stern warning, stating that it would draw an adverse inference if the ECI failed to comply.
Questioning the commission's handling of the election dispute, the bench remarked, "How can the Election Commission of India say that it has lost its record? Your whole purpose is to hold an election, and you need to have a document." The court flatly rejected the ECI's response, adding, "Whatever you have, produce it on the next date. Otherwise, we will have to draw an adverse inference against you. We will not accept these kinds of lame excuses like 'we are trying to trace it'."
The dispute stems from the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, where Congress candidate T D Rajegowda initially secured a victory in the Sringeri constituency by a narrow margin of 201 votes against BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj. Contesting the outcome, Jeevaraj approached the Karnataka High Court, which subsequently ordered a recount of the postal ballots.
Following the recount on May 3, 2026, Rajegowda's vote tally was reduced by 255 votes, resulting in Jeevaraj being declared the winner.
Rajegowda then challenged the recount process in the Supreme Court. He argued that while the high court had only mandated the re-verification of 279 rejected postal ballots, 562 accepted ballots were also examined. Seeking transparency, he demanded access to the election observer's report alongside the video footage of both the original counting and the recount.
During the hearing, the ECI's advocate acknowledged that the original counting video was missing, drawing sharp criticism from the bench.
The Supreme Court had previously granted interim relief to Rajegowda, allowing him to retain his position as an MLA until the case is finally resolved.