Supreme Court orders ECI to produce Sringeri election records

The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to produce available records from the 2023 vote count in Karnataka’s Sringeri constituency after the commission’s counsel said the original counting video could not be traced. The bench warned it might draw an adverse inference if relevant material was not produced. The order came as the court considered Congress leader T.D. Rajegowda’s challenge to a revised election result. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva scheduled the next hearing for February 15, 2027, and called for available documents and recordings, including the election observer’s report and footage of the original count and recount. The dispute began after Rajegowda won the 2023 Assembly election by 201 votes. BJP candidate D.N. Jeevaraj challenged the result in the Karnataka High Court. On April 6, 2026, the High Court ordered a recount of postal ballots and reverification of 279 ballots that had been rejected. A revised result issued on May 3 declared Jeevaraj elected after Rajegowda’s tally fell by 255 votes.