JUDGMENT

R.C. Lahoti, J.-General elections for constituting the 13th Lok Sabha took place in the months of September/October, 1999. In 25-Amethi Parliamentary Constituency there were 27 candidates in the fray out of whom Smt. Sonia Gandhi, the respondent was declared elected on 7.10.1999. The two appellants namely Hari Shanker Jain and Hari Krishna Lal had also contested the election but lost. Three election petitions were filed before the High Court of Allahabad laying challenge to the election of the respondent of which two were filed by the appellants before us. The two election petitions filed by Hari Shanker Jain and Hari Krishna Lal, the appellants before us, and a third election petition filed by an elector - Prem Lal Patel were respectively registered as Election Petition No.1 of 1999, 4 of 1999 and 5 of 1999. In all the three election petitions the respondent, without filing written statement, moved applications under Order 6 Rule 16 read with Order 7 Rule 11 and Section 151 of the CPC supported by affidavit submitting that the respective election petitions did not raise any triable issue before the High Court; that the pleadings were lacking in precision and were vagu