Judgment

N.P. SINGH, J.-

These appeals have been filed against the judgment of the High Court dismissing, two election petitions filed on behalf of the appellants, questioning the validity of the election of respondent C.K. Jaffer Sharief (hereinafter referred to as "the respondent") to the Lok Sabha from Bangalore North Lok Sabha Constituency.

2. The appellants challenged the election of the respondent, primarily on the grounds (i) that the respondent arranged large-scale mass free feedings for the electors during the election, which amounted to a corrupt practice within the meaning of Section 123(1)(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (hereinafter referred to as the Act); (ii) that the said respondent incurred expenditure at the said election in contravention of Section 77 of the Act which amounted to a corrupt practice within the meaning of Section 123(6) of the Act; and (iii) that the declaration of the result of the respondent was in violation of the provisions of the Act inasmuch as several thousand votes which should not have been counted in his favour and ought to have been rejected as invalid, were counted in favour of the respondent, which has materially affecte