High Court Of Madhya Pradesh
M. Hidayatullah, C. J. and B. K. Choudhuri, J.
K.C.SHARMA - Appellant
Versus
ELECTION TRIBUNAL - Respondents
Misc. Petn. 195 Of 1957
Decided On : 01/31/1958
Amendment - Election Petition - The court refused to interfere with the election tribunal's decision to disallow certain amendments to the election petition, citing that the tribunal acted within its jurisdiction and its discretion should not be interfered with through a writ petition.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner challenged the election tribunal's order disallowing certain amendments to the election petition, which contained allegations of corrupt practices by the returned candidate.
Finding of the Court:
The court refused to interfere with the election tribunal's decision, stating that the tribunal acted within its jurisdiction and its discretion should not be interfered with through a writ petition.
Issues: Challenging disallowance of amendments to the election petition.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that it should not interfere with the election tribunal's decision as it acted within its jurisdiction and its discretion should not be interfered with through a writ petition.
Final Decision: The petition was dismissed with costs.
( 2 ) THE election petition contained allegations of corrupt practices indulged by the returned candidate. It purported to set out particulars of the corrupt practices in three schedules which are numbered, A, B and C. By the application for amendment the petitioner sought to introduce details of the corrupt practices in all the three schedules. Some of these amendments were allowed and the others rejected. It is not necessary to refer to the various amendments which are quite numerous and are not capable of being briefly summarised. We have, however, examined, the original schedules, the proposed amendments and the orders thereon by the election Tribunal carefully. Having considered these amendments and the reasons therefor, we think that we should not interfere by way of our extraordinary powers under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution at this stage in this case.
( 3 ) TO begin with, the Full Bench decision given by Krishnan, J. and us in Babulal sharma v. Brijnarayan Brijesh, Misc. Petn. No. 249 of 1957, D/- 22-1-1958: (AIR 1958 Madh Pra 175) (A), was cited before us in support. In that case, as also here, the learned Election Tribunal had taken the view that particulars of a corrupt practice already given in the election petition could be amended and amplified, but that particulars could not be given for the first time of a corrupt practice alleged in petition. We pointed out in the Full Bench case that the ruling of their Lordships of the supreme Court in Harish Chandra v. Triloki Singh, (S) AIR 1957 SC 444 (B), was applicable to the interpretation of Sub-section (5) of Section 90 of the representation of the People Act, 1951. We, however, did interfere in that case, because the decision of the Tribunal proceeded upon a wrong assumption of the law and the reasons for rejecting the amendments were not fully or convincingly given.
( 4 ) IN the present case, though the election Tribunal took an identical view of the law which, as we have pointed out in the Full Bench case, is wrong, the Tribunal proceeded to examine the merits of the allegations and disposed of the case on the ground that sufficient cause was not shown why the details could not he included in the election petition itself as required by Section 83 of the representation of the People Act, 1951. That puts a different colour upon the matter here. The Tribunal may be right or wrong in allowing or disallowing an amendment, but it acts with jurisdiction; and its discretion, if prima facie exercised, will not be interfered with by way of a writ petition and is a master which may properly be taken in an appeal that may be filed against the final decision. Having considered the petition from this point of view, we are of opinion that we should not interfere in the present case which is distinguishable from the other case because of the manner in which it was approached by the Election Tribunal.
( 5 ) WE cannot leave this case without pointing out that in schedule 'c' attempt has been made to use the sixth sub-section of Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, for a purpose for which it is not meant. The words of "that sub-section are: "the incurring or authorising of expenditure in contravention of Section 77. " this does not mean that omissions in the accounts can be pointed out and the election Tribunal is made to embark upon an enquiry as to what was actually spent or not. The practice of the accounts is really a matter for the Election commission, though suppression of items of expe
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