In a first-of-its-kind move, the Supreme Court of India ordered the recounting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in a Haryana panchayat election — reversing the original poll result and declaring Mohit Kumar as the new Sarpanch of Buana Lakhu village, Panipat.
Court-Supervised Recount on Supreme Court Premises
The Supreme Court summoned all EVMs and election records for the Buana Lakhu panchayat election. The recount took place inside the court premises on August 6, 2025, under the supervision of OSD (Registrar) Kaveri, in the presence of both candidates and their lawyers.
The process was fully video-recorded to maintain transparency.
Following the recount, the Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, with Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice N Kotiswar Singh, ordered the Panipat Deputy Commissioner to officially declare Mohit Kumar as Sarpanch within two days.
Background of the Dispute
The original election took place on November 22, 2022, where Kuldeep Singh was declared the winner. Mohit Kumar challenged the result before the Panipat Election Tribunal, which ordered a recount of votes from booth number 69.
However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court overturned that order on July 1, 2025. Mohit Kumar then approached the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Expands Recount to All Booths
On July 31, 2025, the top court ordered the production of all EVMs from booths 65 to 70 and directed a full recount instead of just one booth.
During the recount, Mohit Kumar secured 1,051 votes, while Kuldeep Singh received 1,000 votes out of a total 3,767 votes cast.
The court found no reason to doubt the official recount report and announced Mohit Kumar as the rightfully elected Sarpanch.
Final Court Order
The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s ruling and restored the Election Tribunal’s decision, stating:
“The appellant deserves to be declared as the elected Sarpanch of Buana Lakhu village. He may assume office immediately and perform his duties.”
The Bench clarified that any remaining legal issues could still be taken up before the Election Tribunal.
