ANIRUDH PRASAD vs RAJESHWARI SAROJ DAS & OTHERS

The Supreme Court addressed the validity of ballot paper rejections under Section 97 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Rule 73(2)(d) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. The Court held that the rejection of three ballot papers, which did not contain identification marks, was erroneous and materially affected the election outcome. Consequently, the Court upheld the High Court's decision to declare the election of the successful candidates invalid due to the improper rejection of votes, thereby impacting the election results significantly.