JUDGMENT :

1. Heard Mr. A.P. Bose on behalf of Mr. P.K. Satapathy, learned Advocate for the Petitioner and Mr. S.K. Mishra, learned Senior Advocate for the Opposite Party.

3. The defeated candidate, who is the present Opposite Party, filed Election Misc. Case No.01 of 2022 in the court of learned Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.), Dhamnagar challenging the election of the Petitioner on the ground that, she does not know how to read and write Odia. Learned trial judge upon adjudication allowed the election petition by declaring the election of the Petitioner as void and disqualified the Petitioner for not able to read and write Odia as required under Section 11(b) of the Odisha Gram Panchayat Act, 1964 (in short, “the OGP Act”). The Petitioner challenged said judgment of learned Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.), Dhamnagar in appeal, i.e. FAO No.87 of 2023 before the learned District Judge, Bhadra