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. The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) failure to trace the video recording of the 2023 vote counting in Karnataka’s Sringeri Assembly constituency.
“How can the Election Commission of India (ECI) say that it has lost its record? Your whole purpose is to hold an election, and you need to have a document,” the bench said, as reported by Bar and Bench. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva expressed surprise at the ECI’s submission that the footage could not be located, questioning how the poll body could lose records related to an election it was responsible for conducting. BJP candidate DN Jeevaraj challenged Rajegowda’s victory, setting off a legal battle that eventually resulted in a recount of postal ballots and a subsequent change in the election result.
When the court asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to produce the relevant documents and footage, senior advocate Seshadri Naidu, representing the poll body, submitted that the recording of the original counting process could not be located. During Wednesday’s hearing, the bench was informed that Rajegowda had sought access to the election observer’s report and video recordings of both the original vote count in 2023 and the subsequent recount. The dispute originated from an election petition filed by BJP candidate DN Jeevaraj before the Karnataka High Court, challenging Congress leader TD Rajegowda’s victory in the 2023 Assembly elections. On April 6, the High Court directed a recount of postal ballots, including the re-examination of 279 ballots that had initially been rejected. Following the recount, the returning officer announced the revised election result on May 3, 2026. Rajegowda’s vote count was reportedly reduced by 255, resulting in Jeevaraj being declared the winner.
