New Delhi, August 16, 2025: In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court of India conducted a manual recount of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes within its premises, marking a historic first in Indian judicial history. The court overturned the 2022 Gram Panchayat election result for Buana Lakhu village in Panipat, Haryana, declaring Mohit Kumar as the duly elected Sarpanch, replacing Kuldeep Singh, who had held the position for nearly 33 months.

The case arose from significant vote-counting errors at Booth No. 69, where 254 votes cast for Mohit Kumar were erroneously credited to Kuldeep Singh. Out of a total of 3,767 votes, the corrected tally showed Mohit Kumar leading by 51 votes. Initially, Kuldeep Singh was declared the winner and assumed office. However, the Returning Officer ordered a recount after noticing irregularities, which favored Mohit Kumar. Kuldeep challenged this in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ruled that post-declaration corrections required an election petition.

Mohit approached the Election Tribunal, which in April 2025 ordered a recount for the disputed booth. Kuldeep obtained a stay from the High Court, prompting Mohit to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court. In July 2025, the apex court directed that all five EVMs used in the election be presented to its Registrar (OSD) for a recount under video surveillance, with both parties present. The Registrar’s report, reviewed on August 11, confirmed Mohit’s lead, leading the court to void the original result.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and N. Kotiswar Singh ordered the Panipat Deputy Commissioner to issue a fresh notification within two days, declaring Mohit Kumar as Sarpanch. Mohit was sworn in on August 14, 2025, stating, “Justice was delayed but ultimately delivered. The truth has won, and the entire village is rejoicing.”

The Supreme Court clarified that the Registrar’s recount findings are final, though other related disputes may be addressed by the Election Tribunal.