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"The elected MLA, the appellant, will remain in office." Nonetheless, the Court mandated that ECI follow the instructions to the point of recounting ballots and submitting the outcome in a sealed cover.
The Karnataka High Court's recent ruling, which invalidated Congress politician KY Nanje Gowda's 2023 election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Malur seat, was stayed by the Supreme Court on Tuesday [KY Nanje Gowda V. KS Manjunath Gowda].
According to a bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, Nanje Gowda would remain the elected MLA till further directives are given.
Nonetheless, the Court ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to submit the recount findings to the Court in a sealed cover and to abide by the High Court's directives on the vote recount.
The Bench also made it clear that the findings of the recounting cannot be shared without the court's approval.
Send out a notification. In the meanwhile, the High Court's contested ruling will continue to be in effect to the degree that it invalidated the appellant's election. As a result, the appellant will remain the Legislative Assembly's elected member. Nonetheless, the Election Commission of India is instructed to follow the guidelines to the extent of recounting ballots and presenting the outcome to this Court in a sealed cover. The supreme court ruled that the recounting results could not be shared without this court's approval.
The Karnataka High Court's September 2025 ruling, which invalidated Gowda's election from the Malur seat and ordered a vote recount, was being challenged in a case before the court.
In response to an election appeal submitted by KS Manjunath Gowda, a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who ran from Malur in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, the High Court issued its ruling.
Manjunath Gowda had claimed that there were a number of irregularities in the election process, such as incorrect vote counting, election officials obtaining counting agents' signatures prior to the opening of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), and the admission of unauthorized individuals into the counting hall.
In addition to taking punishment against an election official for failing to retain video footage of the 2023 voting process, the Karnataka High Court ordered a recount of ballots within four weeks in light of these accusations.
The election petition is partially granted, allowing for a recount of the votes and a subsequent announcement of the results. It is accordingly declared that respondent No. 1 (Nanje Gowda) was not elected in the May 2023 elections to the Malur Assembly Constituency, Kolar District (Karnataka Assembly Constituency No.149). Within four weeks after receiving a copy of this ruling, the High Court had instructed the Election Commission of India to guarantee a new vote count and results announcement for the Malur Assembly Constituency, Kolar District (Karnataka Assembly Constituency No.149).
Nanje Gowda petitioned the Supreme Court after being offended by the ruling.
On behalf of Nanje Gowda, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi made an appearance.
Usman Ghani Khan, a lawyer, filed the petition.
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