Supreme Court Orders Historic EVM Recount, Reverses Haryana Sarpanch Poll Result
In an extraordinary and unprecedented development, the Supreme Court of India ordered a full recount of votes in a Haryana sarpanch election—physically calling Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and polling records into its own premises. The dispute centred on the November 2, 2022 election for the village head of Buana Lakhu in Panipat district.
Kuldeep Singh had initially been declared the winner over rival Mohit Kumar. However, Kumar contested the outcome, alleging irregularities during counting. An election tribunal in Panipat first directed a recount from one booth, but this order was quashed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Kumar then approached the Supreme Court.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and N Kotiswar Singh heard the appeal and, on July 31, issued a landmark order summoning all six EVMs and related records from the election. The court went beyond the tribunal’s limited recount order, directing that votes from every booth—estimated at 65 to 70—be tallied afresh.
On August 6, the recount took place inside the Supreme Court building under the supervision of a court-appointed Registrar (OSD) and was fully videographed for transparency. Representatives of both candidates were present.
The final tally marked a dramatic reversal: of the 3,767 total votes, Mohit Kumar secured 1,051 while Kuldeep Singh received 1,000. Accepting the findings, the Supreme Court on August 11 overturned the High Court ruling and instructed the Panipat Deputy Commissioner to formally declare Mohit Kumar the elected sarpanch within two days.
