News Desk: The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) for failing to trace the video recording of the original vote count in Karnataka’s 2023 Sringeri Assembly election. The court warned that it could draw an adverse inference against the poll body if it failed to produce the available records at the next hearing.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva expressed displeasure after the ECI informed the court that the original counting footage could not be traced. The bench questioned how an institution responsible for conducting elections could fail to preserve such important records.
“We will not accept these kinds of lame excuses,” the court observed, directing the commission to produce whatever records were available.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Congress leader TD Rajegowda, whose election victory was overturned following a recount of postal ballots. Rajegowda had initially defeated BJP candidate DN Jeevaraj by 201 votes in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
The dispute began after Jeevaraj challenged the result before the Karnataka High Court. On April 6, 2026, the high court ordered a recount of postal ballots, including the re-verification of 279 ballots that had been rejected during the original counting.
However, Rajegowda approached the Supreme Court, alleging that the returning officer had exceeded the scope of the high court's directions by re-examining ballots that had already been accepted as valid.
According to the details placed before the Supreme Court, the recount resulted in 255 votes previously counted in Rajegowda's favour being invalidated, while two votes were added to Jeevaraj's tally. The revised count gave the BJP candidate a winning margin of 52 votes, reversing the original result.
In May, the Supreme Court had questioned the legality of the recount process and kept consequential steps taken by the returning officer in abeyance while examining the matter. Rajegowda was allowed to continue as the MLA pending further consideration.
During Wednesday's hearing, the Congress leader sought access to the election observer's report and video recordings of both the original counting in 2023 and the recount conducted in May 2026.
Senior advocate Seshadri Naidu, appearing for the ECI, informed the bench that the original counting footage could not be traced. The court was not satisfied with the explanation and directed the commission to submit the available records.
The matter has been listed for February 15, 2027.
The case has raised questions about the preservation of election records, the handling of postal ballots and the transparency of electoral processes. The Supreme Court's further examination will determine the legal implications of the disputed recount and the missing footage.
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