Holding

The omission of the notary’s details in the copy of the affidavit does not amount to a vital defect; substantial compliance with Section 81(3) suffices, so the election petition cannot be dismissed under Section 86(1).

Summary

The appellant, T.M. Jacob, was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly and faced an election petition filed by C. Poulose alleging corrupt practices. The petition included an affidavit in Form 25, but the copy of the affidavit served on Jacob omitted the notary’s name, address, stamp and seal, though it bore the endorsement "Sd/- Notary". Jacob argued that this omission violated Section 81(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and warranted dismissal of the petition under Section 86(1). The Supreme Court held that the omission was not a vital defect; the copy was substantially compliant with Section 81(3) and therefore the petition could not be dismissed. The Court also clarified that the precedent set in Dr Shipra’s case did not apply because the factual circumstances differed. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed and the election petition was allowed to proceed on its merits.

Issues considered

Whether the omission of the notary’s name, address, stamp and seal in the copy of the affidavit constitutes a fatal defect under Section 81(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 attracting dismissal under Section 86(1).
Whether the doctrine of substantial compliance applies to violations of Section 81(3).
Whether the decision in Dr Shipra v. Shanti Lal Khoiwal is applicable to the present facts.
Whether the copy of Annexure XV served on the appellant was a true copy of the original.
Whether non‑compliance with Section 83(1) is curable under the Code of Civil Procedure.

Legislation cited

Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
Conduct of Election Rules, 1961s. Form 25, s. Rule 94-A
Representation of People Act, 1951s. 81(3), s. 83(1), s. 86(1)

Subjects

election petitionRepresentation of People ActSection 81(3)true copysubstantial compliancenotaryaffidavitcorrupt practicespreliminary objectionSection 86(1)

Judgment

- T.M. JACOB
v.
A

C. POULOSE AND ORS.

APRIL 15, 1999

[DR. A.S. ANAND, C.J.I., S.B. MAJMUDAR SUJATAV. B
MANOHAR, K. VENKATASWAMI AND V.N. KHARE, JJ.]

Representation of People Act, 1951 : Section 81 (3), 83(1) proviso and
.86(1). Election:+-Election petition-Alleging corrupt practices-Affidavit-
ln support of-Copy-Defects in-Substantial or curable-Copy of affidavit C
contained endorsement that affidavit was duly signed, verified and affirmed
before Notary-l!otary also signed below the endorsement-But name, address,
stamp and seal of Notary missing-Held : Non-compliance with S.81 (3)
would entail dismissal of election petition under S.86(1)-But non-compliance
with S.83(1) is a curable defect and does not attract S.86(1)-Expression D
"copy" in S.81(3) does not mean an exact copy but one so true that no
reasonable person could misunderstand as not being the same as the original-
There should be no substantial variation of a vital- nature as to mislead such
a person to understand and meet the charges-The said defects are not of
a vital nature and are curable-Hence, there is substantial compliance with
S.81(3) rlw S.83(1)-Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, R.94-A and Form 25. E

Words and Phrases :

"Copy"-Meaning of-Jn the context of S.81(3) of the Representation
of People Act, 1951.
F
Doctrines:

Doctrine of Substantial compliance-Discussed

The first respondent filed an election petition before the High Court
challenging the election of the appellant to the State Legislative Assembly G
on the ground of corrupt practices. The respondent served a copy of the
election petition on the appellant along with a copy of the affidavit in support
of the election petition. The copy of the affidavit supplied to the appellant
contained the endorsements that the affidavit had been duly affirmed, signed
and verified by respondent No. 1 before a Notary. Under the affirmation by
the Notacy, the word, Sd/- Notary was also written. What was, however, found H
659
660 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999] 2 S.C.R.

A missing in the copy of the affidavit was the name and address of the Notary
as well as the stamp and seal of the Notary, before whom the affidavit had
-\
...
been so affirmed and who had attested the affidavit.

The appellant raised the following contentions before the High Court:

B (a) The vice which had been noticed in Dr. Shipra 's case in the copy
of the affidavit served on the r:eturned candidate along with the
copy of the election petition in that case was also p(ent in the

c
(b)
present case.
()
The election petition in the present case was liable to be rejected
in limine for non-compliance with Section 81(3) of the
-
Representation of People Act, 1951 on account of the defect in the
true copy supplied to the appellant.

(c) Annexure XV supplied to the appellant was not a true copy of
Annexure XV filed with the election petition and the election
D petition was liable to be dismissed on that score alone for non-
compliance with the requirements of Section 81(3).
'
The High Court held that the election petition was not liable to be
dismissed on the grounds raised by the appellant. Hence this appeal.
E The following question arose before this Court :

Whether "in a case like the present one" the decision in Dr. Shipra 's
case can apply keeping in view "certain wide observations" made in the
opinion of Justice K. Ramaswamy and Justice Paripoornan in that case.
F Dismissing the appeal, this Court

HELD : 1.1. The defect found in the true copy of the affidavit in Dr.
Shipra 's case was not merely the absence of the name of the Notary or his
seal and stamp but a complete absence of "notarial endorsement" of the
G verification as well as absence of an "afiramation" or "oath" by the election
petitioner. It was in that context that the Bench had found in Dr. Shipra 's case
that the returned candidate would have got the impression, on a perusal of
the "true copy" of the affidavit, that there was no duly sworn and verified
affidavit filed in support of the allegations of corrupt practice by the election
petitioner. It was precisely:on account of this 'fatal' defect that K. Ramaswamy,
H J opined that "the principle of substantial compliance cannot be accepted in
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. 661

the/act situation." (671-E-F-G] A

1.2. Thus, the judgment in Dr. Shipra's case is confined to the "fact
situation" as existing in that case and has no application to the established
facts of the present case and the wide observations made therein were made
in the context of the facts of that case only. The defect found in the present
case is almost identical to the defect, which had been found in the copy of B
the affidavit supplied to the first respondent in Anil R. Deshmukh's case.
[672-E-F)

Anil R. Deshmukh v. Onkar N. Wagh JT, (1999) 1 SC 135, followed.

C!Tv. Sun Engineering Works (P) Ltd. JT, (1992) 5 SC 543, relied on. C
Dr. (Smt.) Shipra v. Shanti Lal Khoiwal , [1996) 5 SCC 181, held
inapplicable.

Purushottam v. Returning Officer, AIR (1992) Born. 227, referred to. D
2.1. The object of serving a "true copy" of an Election Petition and an
affidavit filed in support of the allegations of corrupt practice on the
respondent in the Election Petition is to enable the respondent to understand
the charge against him so that he can effectively meet the same in the
written statement and prepare his defence. The requirement is, thus, of E
substance and not of form. (673-G)

2.2. The expression "copy" in Section 81(3) of the Representation of
People Act, 1951 means a-copy which is substantially so and which does

- not contain any material or substantial variation of vital nature as could
possibly mislead a reasonable person to understand and meet the charges/ F

-· allegations made against him in the election petition. Indeed a copy which
differs in material particulars from the original cannot be treated as a true
copy of the original within the meaning of Section 81(3) of the Act and vital
defect cannot be permitted to be cured after the expiry of the period of
limitation. [678-F] G

Murarka Radhey Shyam Ram Kumar v. Roop Singh Rathore, [1964) 3
SCR 573 and Ch. Subbarao v. Member, Election Tribunal, Hyderabad,
[1964) 6 SCR 213, relied on.

Kamaraja Nadar v. Kunju Thevar, (1959) SCR 583, cited. H
662 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [t 999) 2 S.C.R.

A 3. The election petition in question did not suffer from any defect,
which could attract the provisions of S.86(1) of the Act.

4.1. The Legislative intent appears to be quite clear, since it divides
violations into two classes-those violations, which could entail dismissal of
the election petition under Section 86(1) of the Act like 1,1on-compliance
B with Section 81(3) and those violations which attract Section 83(1) of the Act
i.e. non-compliance with the provisions of Section 83. It is only the violation
of Section 81 of the Act, which can attract the application of the doctrine of
substantial compliance. The defect of the type provided in Section 83 of the
Act, on the other hand, can be dealt with under the doctrine of curability,
C on the principles contained in the Code of Civil Procedure. (679-G]

4.2. It is not every minor variation in form but only a vital defect in
substance, which can lead to a finding of non-compliance with the provisions
of Section 81(3) of the Act with the consequences under Section 86(1) to
follow. A certain amount of flexibility is envisaged. While impermissible
D deviation from the original entail the dismissal of an election petition under
Section 86(1) of the Act, an insignificant variation in the true copy cannot
be construed as a fatal defect. It is, however, neither desirable nor possible
to catalogue the defects which may be classified as of a vital nature or those
which are not so. It would depend upon the facts and circumstances of each
case and no hard and fast formula can be prescribed. [681-C]
E
Murarka Radhey Shyam Ram Kumar v. Roop Singh Rathore, [1964] 3
SCR 573 and Ch Subbarao v. Member, Election Tribunal, Hyderabad, (1964)
6 SCR 213, relied on.

5.1. Admittedly, copies of the election petition and the affidavit served
F on the appellant bore-The signatures of respondent No. 1 on every page and
,---
the original affidavit filed in support of the election petition had been properly
. signed, verified and affir:med by the election petitioner and attested by the
Notary. There has, thus, been a substantial compliance with requirements
of Section 81(3) read with the proviso to Section 83(1)(c) of the Act.
G [679-CJ

S.2. Non-mention of the name of the Notary or the absence of the stamp
and seal of the Notary in the otherwise true copy supplied to the appellant
could not be construed to be omission or variation of a vital nature and, thus,
the defect, if at all it could be construed as a defect, was not a defect of any
H vital nature attracting consequences of Section 86(1) of the Act. (680-F]
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 663
Murarka Radhey Shyam Ram Kumar v. Roop Singh Rathore, [1964) 3 A
SCR 573 and Ch. Subbarao v. Member, Election Tribunal, [1964) 6 SCR
213, followed.

6. A comparison of the original Annexure XV with the copy therefore
served on the appellant indicates that both the documents were identical in
nature. The objection, thus, was not based on any factual matrix. [681-F) B
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 14555 of
1996..

From the Judgment and Order dated 18.9.96 of the Kel:'ala High Court
in E.P. No. 8of1996. C
Harish N. Salve, Nikhil Shakardande, Roy Abraham and Ms. Baby
Krishanan for the Appellant.

Dr. Rajeev Dhawan, V. Ramachandran, Ramesh Babu M.R. and G. Prakash
for the Respondents. D
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ. This appeal by special leave is directed against
an order dated 18th September, 1996 passed by a learned Single Judge of the
High Court of Kerala rejecting the application made by the appellant herein E
seeking dismissal of Election Petition No.8 of 1996 on various grounds. The
brief facts are :

The appellant (returned candidate) was elected to the Kerala State
Legislative Assembly from Priavom Constituency No.79. While the appellant
had secured 51873 votes, respondent No. I (election petitioner) had received F
44165 votes. After the result of the election was declared, the first respondent
filed Election Petition No.8 of 1996 challenging the election of the appellant
alleging that the election of the appellant stood vitiated by commission of
various corrupt practices, as ,detailed in the Eledion Petition TheEiection
Petition was resisted by the appellant and on 29. 7.1996 the appellant filed his G
( written objections. Various objections were raised but for the purpose of this
appeal we are concerned with the objection raised in paragraph 39 of the
written objections to the effect that Annexure XV supplied to the appellant
was not a true copy of Annexure XV filed with the Election Petition and the
election petition was liable to be dismissed on that score alone for non-
compliance with the requirements of Section 81(3) of the Representation of H
664 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [l 999] 2 S.C.R.

A People Act, 1951 (hereinafter 'the Act'). Respondent No.4 to the Election
Petition also raised a preliminary objection on 30th of July, 1996. That objection
however, has no relevance for the present appeal. Respondent No. I filed his
reply to the written objections on 6.8.1996 in which, inter alia, he asserted in
paragraph 15 that copy of Annexure XV served on the appellant was a 'true
B copy' of Annexure XV filed with the Election Petition and that there was no
failure on his part to comply with Section 81 (3) of the Act.

On 6.8.1996, the appellant filed a petition, C.M.P. No.2903 of 1996,
praying that the Election Petition be dismissed for non-compliance with the
provisions of section 81(3) of the Act. The main objection raised in this
C petition also centered around Annexure XV, report in the newspaper 'Rashtra
Deepika'. Paragraphs 4 and 5 of C.M.P. No.2903 of 1996 read thus :

"4. I have filed my written statement of objections to the Election
Petition on 29.7.1996. I have raised a preliminary objection to the
maintainability of the petition under section 81(3) of the Representation
D of the People Act. Section 83 clauses (a) and (b) contemplate that an
election petition shall contain a concise statement of the materials and
also set forth full particulars of any corrupt practice. So whenever
there is an allegation of corrupt practice may be contained in a
document and the election petitioner may refer to such document. But
when such document should be supplied to the opposite party. It
E forms an integral part of the election Petition.

5. In this case, the petitioner has produced Annexure XV - a daily
newspaper "Rashtra Deepika" to prove one of the corrupt practices.
Though a report is mentioned in paragraph 36 of the Election Petition

p·
a copy of the report was not served on me. Hence I verified the .-
original petition and found out that the averments in paragraph 36 of
the Original Petition and the report in Annexure XV are entirely
different. Non supply of the report to me is fatal to the maintainability
,
of the Election Petition as Section 81 (3) of the Representation of the
People Act provides for giving a true copy of the Election Petition to
the respondent mandatorily. The copy served on this respondent
G
does not tally with the original 'Election Petition submitted in the
court. Even the contents of para 36 of the Election Petition do not T

tally with the statements made in the newspaper report in Rashtra '
Deepika filed by the petitioner with the Election Petition as filed in
court. As a consequence there is a non-compliance of the requirements
H provided in section 81(3) of the R.P. Act which entails dismissal of the
-- T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.]

Election Petition as mandated by section 86 of the R.P. Act.'
665
A
While C.M.P. No.2903 of 1996 was pending consideration, on 19.8.1996,
the appellant filed yet another memo of objection through his Advocate,
stating that the copy of the Election Petition served on him was defective.
That Memo reads thus :
B
'MEMO SUBMITTED BYS. NARAYANAN POT/, ADVOCATE, FOR
THE !ST RESPONDENT IN THE ABOVE CASE.

I am herewith submitting the copy of the Election Petition No.8
of 1996 served on the 1st respondent for information of the Hon'ble
Court, especially copy of the affidavit in form 25 as per Rule 94 of the C
conduct of Election Rules 1961 in order to show that the verification
of the Notary Public is not contained therein and therefore the copy
is defective. Both the copies served on the I st respondent are
identical.'

Respondent No. I filed his reply both to the above memo as also to D
C.M.P. No.2903 of 1996 on 2nd of September, 1996. Apart from stating that
objection regarding alleged defect in the supply of true copy of the petition
had been raised after issues had been framed, it was maintained that the
objection contained in the memo filed on 19.8.1996 appears to have been
influenced by the observations made by this Court in Dr. (Smt.) Shipra & E
others v. Shanti Lal Khoiwal & others, [1996] 5 SCC 181 and had no validity.
Respondent No. I stated in paragraph 3 of his reply :

·Admittedly in the copy returned by the first respondent the attestation
part is conspicuously present. The petitioner has signed the s::ime and
the Advocate has also attested the same. Above the word 'Notary' it F
has been shown as signed. Therefore the petitioner is advised to
submit that the first respondent is not entitled to draw comfort from
the Supreme Court decision as the affidavit in that case did not
contain the attestation part at all. It is also understood that in that
case the attestation in the original was done by the Notary by-hand
(in manuscript) and therefore understandably the copies did not G
contain the solemnisation and attestation by Notary. The present
affidavit does not suffer foom the grave lapse which was the subject
matter o( scrutiny before the Supreme Court.'

It was further asserted that the petitioner had complied with Rule 94 A
as well as form 25 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 196 l (for short "the H
666 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999] 2 S.C.R.

A Rules") while filing the affidavit in support of the allegations of corrupt
practice and that there had been no breach of section 81(3) of the Act. In .
para~raph 7 respondent No. I stated :

'The petitioner submits that no prejudice has been caused to the first
respondent. If he felt any difficulty in the copies supplied to him he
B would not have ventured into filing a detailed written statement of
objections. The petitioner is advised to submit that the first respondent
ought to have raised this objection before he filed his written statement

c
of objections it should be presumed that every allegations contained
in the E.P. including those pertaining to the allegation of the corrupt
practices ·by the first respondent has been answered by him to his
- ....
satisfaction in his written statement of objection. Therefore, it has to
be understood that the first respondent has taken the copy of the E.P.
served on him as an absolutely true copy as he has acted upon it in
that manner. After that the first respondent is not entitled to tum back
and erase the effect on the efforts he has already made to defend this
D case by going back in time and. raising preliminary objections on
maintainability at this stage of the proceeding.

In the circumstances the petitioner most humbly prays that this
Hon'ble Court may be pleased to reject the first respondent's Memo
dated 19-8-1996 on these and other grounds to be urged at the time
E of hearing duly allowing the continuation of the trial of the E.P.'

On 13th August, 1996 at the suggestion of learned counsel for the
· parties, following additional issue was raised as issue No. I

'Whether the Election Petition is liable to be dismissed for the reasons
F mentioned in C.M.P. 2903of1996 ?'

In the High Court, in support of issue No. I, learned counsel for the
appellant relied upon the judgment of this Court in Dr. Shipra's case (supra).
It was submitted that the vice which had been noted in Dr. Shipra's case
G (supra) in the copy of the affidavit served on the returned candidate along
with the copy of election petition in that case was also present in the present
case inasmuch as the verification of the affidavit, on the copy of the affidavit,
supplied to the appellant did not tally with the verification of the affidavit filed
along with the election petition. It was pointed out that neither the name of
the Notary, nor the stamp and seal of the Notary, had been fixed below the
H attestation of the verification on the copy of the affidavit, supplied to the
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.) 667
appellant, though in the affidavit filed along with the election petition, the A
name, stamp and seal of the notary, after the attestation of verification by him
were very much present and because of non-supply of "true copy" of the
affidavit, the election petition suffered from the defect covered by section
81(3) of the Act. The High Court, however, did not agree and found that the
vice which had been noticed in Dr. Shipra's case was ryot present in the
present case inasmuch as the "omissions" pointed out in the copy of the B
affidavit served on the appellant did not render that copy as not a "true
copy", and there had been substantial compliance with the provisions .of
Section 81(3) besides the alleged variation could not cause any prejudice to
the appellant in formulating his defence.

The second objection raised in the High Court, was about the alleged
c
non-supply of true copy of Annexure XV to the appellant. Insofar as this
second objection is concerned, the learned single Judge of the High Court
compared the copy of Annexure XV served on the appellant with the copy
of Annexure XV as filed along with the Election Petition and found that the
two were identical and that there was no variation between the two. The High D
Court, therefore, held that the Election Petition was not defective on that
score either. The High Court accordingly rejected the preliminary objection
and deciding issue No. l held that election petition was not liable to be
dismissed on the grounds raised by the appellant. The order of the High
Court has been put in issue by the appellant in this appeal by special leave. E
After leave was granted by this Court, the following order was made on
18.12.1997 :

"The main point urged .by the learned counsel for the appellant
is that a copy of the affidavit supplied to the appellant together with
the notice of the Election Petition is not a true copy inasmuch as it F
does not indicate the na,me and designation of the ~otary nor does
it bear the seal and stamp of the Notary. On this basis, it is contended
that there is non- compliance of Section 81(3) because of which the
Election Petition is liable ~o be dismissed at the threshold under
Section 86(1) of the Representation of People Act. Shri Sorabjee, G
learned counsel for the appellant places reliance on the decision in Dr.
Shipra v. Shanti Lal Khoiwa/, [1996] 5 SCC 181, particularly the
opinion of Justice Paripooman therein read with that of Justice K.
Ramaswamy. Sh. Sorabjee submits that even though from the
supplementary opinion of Justice Bharucha, contained in para 17 of
the report, identity on this point may not be explicit but there being H
668 SUPREME COlJRT REPORTS [1999] 2 S.C.R.

A no reservation in the opinion of Justice Bharucha on this point, this
view is to be construed as the unanimous decision of the three-Judge
Bench.

Having heard Shri Sorabjee, we are not too sure that the principle
indicated in the said decision can apply to the facts of the present
B case but certain wide observations, in the opinion of Justice
Paripoornan and Justice K. Ramaswamy, may support the appellant's
contentions. In our opinion, the matter would, therefore, require re-
consideration by a larger Bench to decide whether even in a case like
the present one, the decision in Dr. Shipra v. Shanti Lal Khoiwal (1996)
5 sec 181 can apply.
c
The papers be laid before the Chief Justice for constitution of a
larger Bench'.

That is, how, this appeal has been placed before the Constitution
Bench.
D
We have heard Mr. Harish Salve, learned senior counsel appearing for
the appellant and Dr. Rajeev Dhavan, learned senior counsel appearing for
respondent No. I and examined the record.

From a perusal of the order of reference it is seen that the scope of the
E reference is rather limited to consider whether "in a case like the present one"
the decision in Dr. Shipra's case (supra) can apply keeping in view "certain
wide observations" made in the opinions of Justice K. Ramaswamy and
Justice Paripoornan in that case.

It would, therefore, be desirable, at this stage, to first consider the fact
F situation as existing in Dr. Shipra's case :

A batch of appeals came to be dealt with in Dr. Shipra's case. In all the
appeals, the only question that arose for consideration was whether the copy
of the election petition accompanied by supporting affidavit in Form 25
G prescribed under Rule 94-A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, served
on the respective respondents but not containing the verification of attestation
made by the District Magistrate/Notary/Oath Commissioner, could be said to
be a "true and correct copy" of the election petition as envisaged by secti~n ,_ ,
81(3) of the Act? K. Ramaswamy, J. who authored the lead judgment referred
to various provisions of the Act and a number of judgments dealing with the
H scope of Section 81 (3) read with Section 86(1) of the Act and approving the
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 669

view of the Bombay High Court in Purushottam v. Returning Officer, AIR A
(1992) Bombay 227, observed:

"In Purushottam v. Returning Officer the present question had directly
arisen. In that case the copy contained omission of vital nature, viz.,
the attestation by the prescribed authority. The High Court had held
that the concept of substantial compliance cannot be extended to B
overlook serious or vital mistakes which shed the character of a true
copy so that the copy furnished to the returned candidate cannot be
said to be a true copy. We approve of the above view. Verification by
a Notary or any other prescribed authority is a vital act which assures
that the election petitioner had affirmed before the·Notary etc. that the C
statement containing imputation of corrupt practices was duly and
solemnly verified to be correct statement to the best of his knowledge
or information as specified in the election petition and the affidavit
filed in support thereof; that reinforces the assertions. Thus affirmation
before the prescribed authority in the affidavit and the supply of its
true copy should also contain such affirmation so that the returned D
candidate would not be misled in his understanding that imputation
of corrupt practices was solemnly affirmed or duly verified before the
prescribed authority. For that purpose, Form 25 mandates verification
before the prescribed authority. The object appears to be that the
returned candidate is not misled that it was not duly verified. The E
concept of substantial compliance of filing the original with the election
petition and the omission thereof in the copy supplied to the returned
candidate as true copy cannot be said to be a curable irregularity.
Allegations of corrupt practices are very serious imputations which,
if proved, would entail civil consequences of declaring that he became F
disqualified for election for a maximum period of six years under
Section 8-A, apart from conviction under Section 136(2). Therefore,
compliance of the statutory requirement is an integral part of the
election petition and true copy supplied to the returned candidate
should as a sine qua non contain the due verification and attestation
by the prescribed authority and certified to be true copy by the G
election petitioner in his/her own signature. The principle of
substantial compliance cannot be accepted in the fact-situation.'
(Emphasis ours)

Paripoornan, J. in his supplementing view, while also agreeing with the
view of Bombay High Court in Purushottam's case opined : H
670 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999) 2 S.C.R.

A 'In my opinion, the above decision lays down the law correctly and
is squarely applicable herein. In particular, the following observations
in the unreported decision of the Bombay High Court in Election
Petition No.2of1990 quoted in.para 12 of the judgment of Qazi, J. are
instructive and furnish sufficient basis to reach the said conclusion.
The observations are to the following effect:
B
That, however, leaves one question to be considered and it is
whether the copy of the endorsement·' Affirmed and signed before me'
by the Notary, designation of the Notary and the stamped endorsement
regarding the affirmation which he made at the time of the making of
the affidavit, were necessary and essential parts of the document and
c if these are omitted from the copy furnished, that would render the
copy, which is furnished, inco_mplete, and the defect woµld be so
glaring as to negative the inference. that the copy was furnished.
When Form No.25 prescribes a particular form and the copy of that
affidavit is to be furnished, it seems to me that the endorsement of
D the authority before whom the affirination was made, together with his
official designation and the stamped endorsement, are also essential
and without them the copy cannot be regarded as true copy. It is not
merely the contents of the affidavit which brings sanctity to the
document but the affirmation that has been made, and without the
affirmation, it can be no affidavit at all."
E
(Emphasis ours)

It is, however, not possible to ascertain from the opinions of K.
Ramaswamy, J.. or Paripooman, J. whether the original affidavit filed along
with the election petition in Dr. Shipra's case was attested and verified in
F accordance with law and whether the defect in the copy of the affidavit
supplied to returned candidate was only of the absence of'notarial endorsement'
in the copy of the affidavit supplied to the respondents in the Election
Petition or there was complete absence of the verification of the affidavit by
the election petitioner as well as of attestation by the notary showing thereby
G that copy,~oT the affidavit supplied to the respondent therein was neither
verified by_ the election petitioner nor affirmed by ~im before the notary nor
attested by the notary.

However, Justice Bharucha, in his supplementing opinion while
expressing agreement with Justice Ramaswamy pointed out the defect in that
H case in the following words :
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 671

.
'The question that must be posed, as indicated by this Court's previous A.
decisions, is : Does the document purporting to be a true copy of the
election petition mislead in a material particular? The 'true copy' of the
election petition furnished by the appellant (election petitioner) to
the respondent (the successful candidate) did not show that the
appellant's affidavit supporting his allegations of corrupt .practice B
.... - had been duly sworn or affirmed. Where corrupt practice is alleged,
the election petitioner must support the allegation by making an
affidavit in the format prescribed. An affidavit must be sworn or
affirmed in the manner required by law, or it is not an affidavit. The
document purporting to be a true copy of the election petition furnished
by the appellant to the respondent gave the impression that the C
appellant's affidavit supporting his allegations of corrupt practice had
not been sworn or affirmed and was, therefore, no affidavit at all; it
misled in a material ·particular and its supply was, as the High Court
held; fatal to the election petition.'

(Emphasis ours) D
Thus, from the 'facts' noted by Bharucha, J., it transpires that in Dr.
Shipra's case. the 'true copy' of the Election Petition furnished to' the
respondent gave an impression that the election petitioner's affidavit supporting
his allegations of corrupt practice had not been duly sworn and verified by
the election petitioner before the Notary, who also had not attested the same E
thereby rendering that document as 'no affi~avit' at all in the eye of law. The
defect found in the 'true copy' of the affidavit, was thus, not merely the
absence of the name of the Notary or his seal and stamp but a complete
absence of 'notarial endorsement' of the verification as well as absence of an
"affirmation" or 'oath' by the election petitioner. It was in that context that F
the Bench had found in Dr. Shipra's case that the returned candidate would
have got the impression, on a perusal of the 'true copy' of the affidavit, that
there.was no duly sworn and verified affidavit filed in support of the allegations
of corrupt practice by the election petitioner. It was precisely on account of
this 'fatal' defect that K. Ramaswamy, J. opined that 'the principle of substantial
compliance cannot be accepted in the fact situation". G
In Anil R. Deshmukh v. Onkar N. :vagh & Ors., JT [1999] l SC 135, the
appellant had filed an election petition for declaring the election of the first
respondent in that case as void and illegal and for declaring him as duly
elected. The petition contained allegations of corrupt practice against the first
respondent. An affidavit had been filed along .with the election petition as H
672 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999] ~ S.C.R.

A required by the proviso to Section 83(l)(c) of the Act in support of the
allegations of corrupt practice. The affidavit was duly affirmed by the election
petitioner before the notary who had also attested the same and the notarial
endorsement of attestation contained all the particulars required by law.
However, when the copies of the election petition aiong with various documents
and the affidavit were served on the first respondent, it was found that the
B copy of the affidavit did not bear the seal or stamp of the attesting officer,
below the notarial endors.ement after the verification of the affidavit. The
appellant had, however, signed the copy of the affidavit below a rubber stamp
endorsement to the effect 'attested as true copy'. On account of the above
omission, the first respondent and the tenth respondent therein contended
C before the High Court that the copies of the affidavit served on them were
not true copies of the affidavit as required by Section 81(3) of the Act. The
issue was tried as a preliminary issue. The High Court found that the copy
of the affidavit supplied to the first respondent was not a 'true copy' inasmuch
as it did not contain the particulars of the notary below the endorsement made
D by the notary. The High Court following its previous judgment in Purshottam
v. Returning Officer, (supra) which had been approved by this Court in Dr.
Shipra's case held that the defect of omission of the particulars of the Notary
on the copy of the affidavit served on the answering respondent was fatal .
and dismissed the election petition for non-compliance with Section 81(3) of
the Act. On an appeal to this Court against the dismissal of the election
E petition, without trial, for non-compliance with the provisions of Section 81(3)
read with Section 83(1) of the Act, learned counsel for the appellant submitted
that the ruling in Dr. Shipra's case had no application to the facts of that case
and that the copy of the affidavit, served on the first respondent, did not
suffer from the vice from which copy of the affidavit served on the returned
candidate suffered in Dr. Shipra's case. Agreeing with the appellant, Srinivasan,
F J, speaking for a three Judge Bench to which one of us (CJI) was a party
opined:

'In the light of the rulings of the Constitution Bench referred to
earlier, we have our own reservations on the correctness of the view
expressed in Dr. (Smt.) Shipra's case (supra) but it is unnecessary in
G the present case to dwell on the same. As pointed out earlier, Justice
Ramaswamy has confined the ruling to the 'fact-situation' in that case.
In so far as the present case is concerned, there is a distinguishing
factor which makes the ruling in Dr.(Smt.) Shipra's case (supra)
inapplicable. W~ have already referred to the fact that even before
H arguments were htard on the preliminary objection by the High Court
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.) 673
in this case the true copies of the affidavits had been served on the A
first respondent and his counsel. In the facts and circumstances of
this case, we have no doubt that there was sufficient compliance of
the provisions of Section 81(3) read with Section 83(l)(c) of the Act
even if it could be said that the copies served in the first instance on
the first respondent were not in conformity with the provisions of the B
Act.'
(Emphasis ours)

The appeal was allowed and the election petition was directed to be
tried on merits.
c
In Anil R. Deshmukh's case (supra) Srinivasan, J. has correctly
distinguished the case of Dr. Shipra bringing out the difference in the type
of defects found in the two cases.

Reverting now to the facts of the present case. A perusal of the copy D
of the affidavit served on the appellant shows that the copy of the affidavit
I
supplied to the appellant contained the endorsement that the affidavit had
been duly affirmed, signed and verified by respondent No. I before a Notary.
Under the affirmation by the notary, the word, Sd/- Notary were also written.
What was, however, found missing in the copy of the affidavit was the name
and address of the Notary as well as the stamp and seal of the Notary, before E·
whom the affidavit had been so affirmed and who had attested the affidavit.

The defect found in the present case is almost identical to the defect
which had been found in the copy of the affidavit supplied to the first
respondent in Anil R. Deshmukh's case (supra).
F
The defect is materially different from the defect found in Dr. Shipra's
case, where the true copy of the election petition furnished by the election
petitioner to the successful candidate did not show that the affidavit filed in
support of the allegation of corrupt practices had been duly sworn or affirmed
and verified by the election petitioner before a notary, whose attestation was G
also found missing.

The argument of t'1e learned counsel for the appellant, both in the
High Court and before us, is apparently based on the following
observations made in the opinion of K. Ramaswamy and Paripooman,
JJ. in. I-I
674 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999) 2 S.C.R.

A Dr. ~.1ipra's case: 'Thus affirmation before the prescribed authority in
the affidavit and the supply of its true copy should also contain such
affinnation $0 that the returned candidate would not be misled in his
understanding that imputation of corrupt practices was solemnly
affirmed or duly verified-. before "1le:.prescribed authorky. For that
purpose, Forin 25 mandates verification before the prescribed authority.
B (JS.. Ramaswamy, J.) ·

c . That, ho\1ever, leaves one question to be c.onsidered and it is
whether the copy of the endorsement 'Affirmed and signed before me'
by the Notary, designation of the Notary and ~he stamped endorsement
regarding the affirmation which he made at the time of the making of
the affidavit, were necessary and e.ssential parts of the document and
if these are omitted from the copy furnished, that would render the
D copy, which is furnished, incomplete, and the defect would be so
glaring as to negative the inference that the copy was furnished.'
(Paripoornan, J.)
(Emphasis ours)

Reliance on the above observations in Dr. Shipra's case divorced from
E
the context in which that judgment had been rendered, is neither fair nor
proper.

In our opinion the principle indicated in Dr. Shipra's case has to be •
considered as confined to the facts and circumstances of that case as opined
·F by Ramaswamy, J. himself, when His Lordsh,ip observed : .. .....,

'The principle. of substantial compliance cannot be accepted in the
fact situation.' (Emphasis ours) and cannot be considered to be of
general application divorced from the fact situation of a given case.

G In The Commissioner ofIncome-tax v. Mis. Sun Engineering Works (P)
Ltd., JT (1992) 5 SC 543, a Bench of this Court to which one of us (Anand,
J.) was a party, observed :

'It is neither desirable nor permissible to pick out a word or a sentence
from the judgment of this court, divorced from the context of the
H question under consideration and treat it to be the complete 'law'
..
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 675
- declared by this Court. The judgment must be read as a whole and A
the observations from the judgment have to be considered in the light
of the questions which were before this Court. A decision of this
Court takes its colour from the questions· involved in the case in
which it is rendered and whil~ applying the decision to a later case, '
. ' the courts must carefully try to ascertain the true principle laid down
by the decision of this court and not to pick out words or sentences B
from the judgment, divorced from the context of the questions under
consideration by this Court, to support their reasonings.'

We are in agreement with the above view.

We, therefore, reject the argument of learned counsel for the appellant C
regarding the applicability of the 'observations' from Dr. Shipra's case to the
fact situation in. the present case.

Thus, our answer to the reference is that the judgment in Dr. Shipra's ·
case is confined "to the 'fact situation' as existing in that case and has: no D
application to· the established facts of the present case and the wide
observations made therein were made in the context of the facts of that case
only.

The next question which still arises for our consideration is whether the
• election petition in the present case was liable to be rejected in limine for non- E
compliance with section 81(3) read with section 86(1) of the Act on account
of the defect in the 'true copy' supplied to the respondent. .

The precise objection of Mr. Harish Salve, learned senior counsel based
on section 81(3) of the Act as already noticed is that the true copy of the
affidavit filed in support of the allegations of corrupt practice in form No.25 F
as required by Rule 94A had not been served on the appellant inasmuch as
in the copy served on the appellant, the name and other particulars of the
Notary and the seal and stamp of the Notary, which had been affixed on the
affidavit filed along with the Election Petition, were conspicuous by their
absence. According to Mr. Salve, the variation between the affidavit filed by G
the election petitioner in support of the allegations of corrupt practice and the
copy served on the appellant had rendered the copy as not a 'true copy' of
the original and notwithstanding the difference between Dr. Shipra's case and
the present one, the election petition ought to have been dismissed for non-
compliance with Section 81(3) of the Act. For what follows we are not
persuaded to agree. H
676 SUPREME
'
COURT REPORTS
. [1999] 2 S.C.R.

A Section 81 of the Act deals with the presentation of election petitions.
Sub-section (1) of ·section 81 provides that an Election Petition calling in
question any election may be presented on one or more of the grounds '
specified in section 100( I) and section I 0 I to the High Court by any candidate
at such election or by any elector within forty-five days from the date of the
B election of the returned candidate. Some of the relevant provisions of the Act
are:

"81(3) Every election petition shall be accompanied by as many copies
thereof as there are respondents mentioned in the petition, and every
such copy shall be attested by the petitioner under his own signature
to be a true ~opy of the petition."
c
Section 83 deals with the contents of the petition and the proviso to
sub-section (I) of section 83 lays down:

"Provided that where the petitioner alleges any corrupt practice,
the petition shall also be accompanied by an affidavit in the prescribed
D form in support of the allegation ·of such corrupt practice and the
particulal'S thereof."

Section 86( I) provides :

"86 (I). The High Court shall dismiss an election petition which does
E not comply with the provisions of section 81 or section 82 or section
117.

Explanation-An order of the High Court dismissing an election
petition under this sub-section shall be deemed to be an order made
under clause (a) of section 98."
F
Does the word 'copy' occurring in section 81(3) of the Act mean an
absolutely exact copy or does it mean a copy so true that nobody could by
any possibility misunderstand it. This matter is no longer res integra. In
Murarka Radhey Shyam Ram Kumar v. Roop Singh Rathore & Others, [1964]
G 3 S<;R 573, a Constitution Bench of this Court elaborately dealt with this
question after referring to a catena of authorities. It was held that the test to
determine whether a copy w,aS a true one or not was to find out whether any
variation from the original was. calculated to mislead a reasonable person. The
Constitution Bench found as untenable the contention that since copies of
the petition served on the returned candidate did not contain signatures of
H the petitioner below the word 'petitioner', on the copies of the petition served
T.M,. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 677
on the respondent, they had ceased to be true copies of the original petition, A
attracting the consequences of Section 86( I) of the Act. The Bench opined:'

Having regard to the provisions of Part VI of the Act, we are of the
view that the word 'copy' does not mean an absolutely exact copy.
It means a copy so true that nobody can by any possibility ·
misunderstand it. The test whether the copy· is a true one is whether B
any variation from the original is calculated to mislead an ordinary
person. Applying that test we have come to the conclusion that the
defects complained of with regard to Election Petition No.269of1962
were not such as to mislead the appellant; therefore there was no
failure to comply with the last part of sub-section (3) of section 81. C
In that view of the matter sub-section (3) of Section 90 was not
attracted and there was no question of dismissing the election petition
under that sub-section by reason of any failure to comply with the ·
provisions of Section 81."

The Bench also opined :
D
"When every page of the copy served on the appellant was
attested to be a true copy under the signature of the petitioner, a fresh
signature below the word 'petitioner' was not necessary. Sub-section
(3) of Section 81 requires that the copy shall be attested by the
petitioner under his own signature and this was done. As to the E
second defect the question really turns on the true scope and effect
of the word 'copy' occurring in sub-section (3) of Section 81. On
behalf of the appellant the argument is that sub-s.(3) of s.81 being
mandatory in nature all the requirements of the sub-section must be
strictly complied with and the word 'copy' must be taken to be an
absolutely exact transcript of the original. On behalf of the respondents F
the contention is that the word 'copy' means that which comes so
near to the original as to give to every person seeing it the idea
created by the original, alternatively, the argument is that the last part
of sub-section (3) dealing with a copy is merely directive, and for the
reliance is placed on the decision of this Court in Kamaraja Nadar G
v. Kunju Thevar, [1959] SCR 583. We are of the view that the word
'copy' in sub-section (3) of Section 81 does not mean an absolutely
exact copy, but means that the copy shall be so true that nobody can
by any possibility misunderstand it (see Stroud's Judicial Dictionary,
third edition, volume 4, page 3098). In this view of the matter it is
unnecessary to go into the further question Whether any part of sub- H
678 SUPREME COURT' REPORTS [1999] 2 S.C.R.

A section (3) of section 81 is merely directory".
(Emphasis ours)

Similar view was reiterated by another Constitution Bench •in Ch.
Subbarao v. Member, Election Tribunal, Hyderabad, {1964]6 SCR 213, wherein
it was held that the expression 'copy' occurring in section 81(3) of the Act
B did not mean an exact copy but only one so 'true that no reasonable person
could by any possibility misunderstand it as not being the same as the
original. Agreeing with the view of the Constitution Bench in Murarka Radhey
Shyam Ram Kumar's case (supra), the Constitution Bench in Ch. Subbarao's
case ruled thafsubstantial compliance with section 81(3) was sufficient and
C the petition could not be dismissed where. there had been substantial
compliance with the requirements of Section 81(3) of the Act, in limine, under
section 81(1) of the Act. We are in respectful agreement .with the view
expressed by the Constitution Bench in Murarka Radhey Shyam Ram Kumar's
case as well as in Ch. Subbarao's case. ·

D The object of serving a 'true· copy' of an Election Petition ahd the
affidavit filed .in support of the allegations of corrupt practice on the
respondent in Election Petition is to enable the respondent to understand the
charge against him so that he can effectively meet the same in the written
statement and prepare his defence. The requirement is, thus, of substance and
not of form.
E
The expression 'copy' in section 81(3) ofthe Act, in our opinion, means
a copy which is substantially so and which does not contain any material or
substantial variation of a vital nature as could possibly mislead a reasonable
person to understand and meet the charges/allegations made against him in
F the election petition. Indeed· a copy which differs in. material particulars from
the original cannot be treated as~ true copy of the original within the.meaning
of section 81(3) of the Act and the ~~tal defect cannot be pennitted to be
cured after the expiry of the period· of limitation.

We have already referred to. tlie defect which has been found in the
G copy of the affidav1nerved ~n-the appellandn the presentease. There is no
dispute that the copy ·of the affidavit =-ser\ied on lhe appellanr contained lhe ·
endorsement the effect that the affidavit had been ·duly signed, verified· and
affirmed by the election petitioner before a Notary. Below the endorsement of
attestation, it was also mentioned : Sd/=Notary. There, however, was an
omiss.ion to mention the name and Notary particulars of the Notary and the
H stamp and seal of the Notary in the copy of the affidavit served on the
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 679
appella~t. There was no other defect pointed out either in the memo of A
objection or in C.M.P. No.2903 of 1996 or even during the course of arguments
. in the High Court or before us. Could this omission be treated as an omission
of a vital or material nature which could possibly mislead or prejudice the
appellant in formulating his defence? In our opinion No. The omission was
inconsequential. By no stretch of imagination can it be said that the appellant B
could have been misled by the absence of the name and seal or stamp of the
Notary on the copy of the affidavit, when endorsement of attestation was
present in the copy which showed that the same had been signed by the
Notary. It is not denied that the copies of the Election Petition and the
affidavit served on the appellant bore the signatures of respondent No. I on
every page a1)41 the original affidavit filed in support of the Election Petition C
had been properly signed, verified and affirmed by the election petitioner and
attested by the Notary. There has, thus, been a substantial compliance with
the req~irements of section 81(3) read with the proviso to section 83(1) (c)
of the Act. Defects in the supply of true copy under section 81 of the Act
may be considered to be· fatal, where the party has been misled by the copy
on account of variation of a material nature in the original and the copy D
supplied to the respondent. The prejudice caused to the respondent in such
cases would attract the provisions of section 81 (3) read with section 86( 1) of
the Act. Same consequence would not follow from non-compliance with
Section 83 of the Act.
E
We are unable to agree with Mr. Salve that since proceedings in election
petitions are purely statutory proceedings and not 'civil proceedings' as
commonly understood, there is no room for invoking and importing the
doctrine of ~ubstantial compliance into section 86(1) read with section 81(3)
of the Act. It is. too late in the day to so urge. The law as settled by the two
Constitution Bench decisions of this Court referred to above is by itself F
sufficient to repel the argument of Mr. Salve. That apart, to our mind, the
Legislat4t'e inten.t appears to be quite clear, since it divides violations into two
cl11$es-those violatio~s which_ would entail dismissal of the election petition
under section 86(1) of the Act like non compliance with section 81(3) and
those violations which attract section 83(1) of the Act i.e. non-compliance G
with the provisions of section 83. It is only the violation of Section 81 of the
,- - Act which can attract the application of the doctrine ofsubstantial compliance
' as expounded in Murarka Radhey Shyam and Ch. Subbarao's cases. The
defect of the type provided in Section 83 of the Act, on the other hand, can
be dealt with under the doctrine of curability, on the principles contained in
the Code of Civil Procedure. This position clearly emerges from the provisions H
680 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999] 2 S.C,R.

A of Section 83(1) and 86(5) of the Act, which read : -
"83. Contents of petition-

(1) An election petition-{a) shall contain a concise statement of the
material facts on which the petitioner relies;
B
-
~

(b) shall set forth full particulars of any corrupt practice that the
petitioner alleges, including as full a statement as possible of the
names of the parties alleged to have committed such corrupt practice
and the date and place of the commission of each such practice; and

c (c) shall be signed by the petitioner and verified in the manner laid
down in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5of1908) for the verification
of pleadings.'

"86. Trial of election petition.-

(5) The High Court may, upon such terms as to costs and otherwise
D as it may deem fit, allow the particulars of any corrupt practice alleged
in the petition to be amended or amplified in such manner as may in
its opinion be necessary for ensuring a fair and effective trial of the
--
petition, but shall not allow any amendment of the petition which will
have the effect of introducing particulars of a corrupt practice not
E previously alleged in the petition.'

Applying the test as laid down in Murarka Radhey Shyam Ram Kumar's
case (supra), to the fact situation of the present case, we come to the
conclusion that the defects complained of in the present case were not such
as could have misled the appellant at all. The non-mention of the name of the
F notary or .the absence of the stamp and seal of the notary in the otherwise
true copy supplied to the appellant could not be construed to be omission
or variation of a vital nature and, thus, the defect, if at all it could be
construed as a defect was not a defect of any vital nature attracting
consequences of Section 86(1) of the Act. Under the circumstances, it must
G be held that there was no failure on the part of the election petitioner to
comply with the last part of sub-section (3) of Section 81 of the Act and,
under the circumstances, Section 86(1) of the Act was not attracted and the
election petition could not have been dismissed by reason of the alleged
failure to comply with the provisions of Section 81 of the Act. In this
connection, it is also relevant to note that the appellant, neither in the memo
H of objections nor in the written objections or in C.M.P.No.2903 of 1996 has
T.M. JACOB v. C. POULOSE & ORS. [DR. A.S. ANAND, CJ.] 681
alleged that he had been misled by the absence of the name, rubber stamp A
and seal of the notary on the copy of the affidavit supplied to him or that
he had been prejudiced to formulate his defence. Even during the arguments,
learned counsel for the appellant was not able to point out as to how the
appellant could have been prejudiced by the alleged omissions on the copy
of the affidavit served on him.
B
In our opinion it is not every minor variation in form but only a vital
defect in substance which can lead to a finding of non-compliance with the
provisions of Section 81(3) of the Act with the consequences under Section
86( 1) to follow. The weight of authority clearly indicates that a certain amount
of flexibility is envisaged. While an impermissible deviation from the original c
may entail the dismissal of an electioll petition under Section 86(1) of the Act,
an insignificant variation in the true copy cannot be construed as a fatal
defect. It is, however, neither desirable nor possible to catalogue the defects
which may be classified as of a vital nature or those which are not so. It
would depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case and no hard
and fast formula can be prescribed. The tests suggested in Murarka Radhey D
Shyams case (supra) are sound tests and are now well settled. We agree with
the same and need not repeat those tests. Considered in this background, we
are of the opinion that the alleged defect in the true copy of the affidavit in
the present case did not attract the provisions of Section 86 (1) of the Act
for alleged non-compliance with the last part of Section 81 (3) of the Act and E
that there had been substantial compliance with the requirements of Section
81(3) of the Act in supplying 'true copy' of the affidavit to the appellant by
the respondent.

Insofar as the alleged defect in the copy of Annexure XV furnished to
- the appellant is concerned, the objection was raised in written objections and F
reiterated in C.M.P.No.2903 of 1996. However, a comparison of the original
Annexure ~V with the copy thereof served on the appellant, by the learned
single Judge of the High Court, indicated that both the documents were
identical in nature. The objection, thus, was not based on any factual matrix.
The learned Single Judge after comparing the original Annexure XV with the G
copy of Annexure- XV served on the appellant came to the conclusion that
there was no variation between the two. Our independent comparison of the
two also leads us to the same result and we confirm the finding of the learned
Single Judge in that behalf. In fairness to Mr. Harish Salve, learned senior
counsel for the appellant, however, we must record that after examining the
original Annexure XV as filed along with the Election Petition and comparing H
682 ·SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1999] 2 S.C.R.

A it with the copy of Annexure xv supplied to. the appellant, he did not press
the challenge to the finding recorded by the High Court on that aspect, of
course, reserving liberty to the appellant to raise all other points concerning
Annexure XV at the trial of the election petition.
)

'.fhus, we find that the learned Single Judge of the High Court was
B justified in rejecting the preliminary objection and holding that the election
petition did not suffer from any defect which could attract the provisions of
-
.•

Section 86(1) of the Act. This appeal has no merits and is dismissed as such,
but, in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case without any order as
to costs.
c We request the High Court to expeditiously dispose of the election
-petition which is pending since 1996.

v.s.s. Appeal dismissed.

}