In Brief
The appellant challenged the election of a Gram Panchayat Mukhiya (village headman) in Bihar, claiming votes from one polling booth were improperly excluded from the initial count. After prolonged litigation spanning 2½ years through multiple courts, the Supreme Court examined the correct vote tally and found the appellant had actually received 1,565 votes compared to the declared winner's 1,557 votes. The Court set aside the erroneous declaration, holding that democratic purity cannot be defeated by administrative negligence or technicalities, and directed the Returning Officer to formally declare the appellant the winner and administer the oath immediately.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.