Overview

• The Supreme Court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling and accepted its Registrar’s videographed recount as the authoritative vote tally.
• On August 11, the court directed the Panipat deputy commissioner to issue a formal notification declaring Mohit Kumar elected and to enable him to assume office immediately.
• OSD/Registrar Kaveri recounted votes from booths 65 to 70 on August 6, with party representatives present, finding 1,051 votes for Mohit Kumar versus 1,000 for Kuldeep Singh.
• The apex court required the election tribunal to accept the sealed Registrar’s report as conclusive on the recount results while preserving parties’ right to litigate other disputes.
• Supreme Court supervision of EVM production and an on-premises recount has been described as a rare, first-of-its-kind intervention in a local election dispute.