In Brief
A Ward Councilor candidate challenged her election through two successive petitions. The first petition was filed within the statutory 30-day period but withdrawn after the opponent raised objections. A second petition was filed five days after the statutory deadline. The first respondent sought to exclude the intervening time under the Limitation Act. The Supreme Court held that the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act 1994 creates a complete statutory code for election petitions. The mandatory 30-day filing period cannot be extended, and the Limitation Act's provisions do not apply. Since the second petition exceeded the deadline, it was barred by limitation regardless of the withdrawal of the first petition. The appeal was allowed and the second election petition dismissed."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.