SUMITRA DEVI vs SHRI SHEO SHANKER PRASAD YADAV & ORS.

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's dismissal of an election petition under Section 116-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, challenging the election of Respondent No. 1 due to alleged irregularities in vote counting. The Court emphasized that it will not interfere with factual findings unless there is a grave error, and found the High Court justified in rejecting the application for inspection of ballot papers due to vague allegations and unreliable evidence. The Court reiterated that a recount is not a right but contingent on demonstrating good grounds for believing a counting mistake occurred.