Chandigarh: In a first-of-its-kind move, the Supreme Court has overturned the result of a Haryana panchayat election after conducting a recount of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) on its premises, declaring Mohit Kumar as the new Sarpanch of Buana Lakhu village in Panipat district.

The dispute arose from the November 2022 Sarpanch election, in which Kuldeep Singh was declared the winner over Mohit Kumar. Alleging irregularities, Kumar challenged the result before the Panipat Election Tribunal, which on May 7, 2025, ordered a recount of votes from one polling booth. The Punjab and Haryana High Court later quashed this order, prompting Kumar to approach the Supreme Court.

A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, with Justices Dipankar Datta and N. Kotiswar Singh, directed the retrieval of all EVMs and election records from the Buana Lakhu election. On August 6, 2025, the court’s Officer on Special Duty (Registrar) Kaveri conducted a full recount of votes from all polling booths in the presence of both candidates and their counsel. The entire process was video-recorded.

The recount showed Mohit Kumar securing 1,051 votes against Kuldeep Singh’s 1,000, reversing the earlier declared result. The court, on August 11, declared Kumar the duly elected Sarpanch and directed the Panipat Deputy Commissioner to issue the notification within two days.

The bench noted that the recount process was conducted with complete transparency, with signed acknowledgments from representatives of both parties. It set aside the High Court’s earlier ruling but allowed any remaining disputes to be taken up by the Election Tribunal.

This marks the first time the Supreme Court has directly overseen an EVM recount, a move that has sparked nationwide debate on electoral integrity and could set a precedent for future election disputes.