In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has overturned the result of the 2022 sarpanch election in BuanaLakhu village, Panipat Dist., after conducting a court-monitored recount of EVMs. The recount has declared Mohit Kumar as the new Sarpanch, defeating previously announced winner Kuldeep Singh.This is the first time the SC has conducted an EVM recount within its premises.
As per the Times of India, the Panchayat election, held on Nov. 2, 2022, saw Kuldeep Singh declared winner. Runner-up Mohit Kumar challenged the outcome, citing counting discrepancies. He first approached the Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-Election Tribunal in Panipat, which on Apr. 22, 2025, ordered a recount for one polling booth (No. 69).However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed this order on July 1, 2025, leading Kumar to approach the SC. On July 31, a bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and N. Kotiswar Singh ordered a comprehensive recount from all six polling booths (Nos. 65–70), not just the disputed one.
The Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer of Panipat were instructed to bring all EVMs and records to the court, where the recount was supervised by SC OSD (Registrar) Kaveri on Aug. 6, 2025. The process, fully videographed, was attended by both candidates’ representatives and lawyers.
The recount results reversed the 2022 results: Out of 3,767 votes, Mohit Kumar received 1,051 votes, Kuldeep Singh 1,000.