The Madhya Pradesh High Court, located in Indore, has dismissed a petition by Congress leader Hukum Singh Karada, challenging his narrow defeat by 28 votes in the 2023 assembly elections for the Shajapur seat. The court found the petition lacking in material facts and specificity, which are crucial for fulfilling the requirements under Section 83 (1) (a) of the Representation of the People Act 1951.
Justice Pranay Verma, presiding over the case, criticized the petition for its vague allegations and the absence of substantive evidence. Karada had contested the election results on the grounds of alleged irregularities in the counting of postal ballots, claiming that 158 postal ballots had been improperly rejected. Despite these allegations, the court noted that the petition failed to provide concrete evidence or documentation to support the claims.
In the tightly contested race, Karada received 98,932 votes, narrowly losing to BJP’s Arun Bhimawad, who garnered 98,960 votes. The judge remarked that the pleadings in the election petition were not backed by necessary details and appeared to be generic allegations that could be applied to any electoral dispute involving postal ballots.
The court’s decision also referenced Supreme Court guidelines, which caution against ordering a recount of ballots without specific, material facts and contemporaneous evidence indicating irregularities. “An order of recounting of votes can be passed only when a prima facie case is made out,” the High Court order stated, emphasizing that there must be clear allegations of specific irregularities in the counting process to justify a recount.
