Holding

The expression 'article supplied for the purpose' means merely the instrument made available for voting, making a ballot marked with a different pen invalid, while a figure placed opposite the candidate’s name, even in the wrong column, satisfies the requirement and the ballot is valid.

Summary

In a 1986 Rajya Sabha election by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the appellant, Era Sezhiyan, lost and challenged the rejection of one ballot paper marked with green ink (a pen different from the blue‑ink pen supplied in the booth) and the acceptance of three ballots where the figure ‘1’ was placed in the wrong column but opposite the candidate’s name. The Supreme Court examined the meaning of “article supplied for the purpose” in Rules 39A(2)(b) and 73(2)(e) of the Conduct of Election Rules, distinguishing indirect Rajya Sabha elections from direct Lok Sabha elections. It held that the phrase means the instrument merely made available, not necessarily handed to each voter, so the green‑ink ballot was correctly rejected. Conversely, the rules require the figure ‘1’ to be opposite the candidate’s name; the column is not essential, so the three ballots were valid. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the election result unchanged.

Issues considered

Whether a ballot paper marked with a pen other than the 'article supplied for the purpose' is invalid in a Rajya Sabha election.
How the expression 'article supplied for the purpose' in Rules 39A(2)(b) and 73(2)(e) should be interpreted.
Whether the voter’s intention can override non‑compliance with the prescribed marking method.
Whether a first‑preference figure placed in the wrong column but opposite the candidate’s name renders the ballot invalid.

Legislation cited

Conduct of Election Rules, 1961
Representation of the People Act, 1951s. 100, s. 59, s. 60

Subjects

Rajya Sabha electionpreferential votingballot paper validityarticle supplied for purposeConduct of Election Rulesvoter intentionindirect electionballot marking

Judgment

' ERA SEZHIYAN
~/ v.
A
T.R. BALU AND ORS.

MARCH 1, 1990

[M.H. KANIA AND KULDIP SINGH, JJ.] B
I'· Representation of the People Act, 1951/Conduct of Election Rules
1961: Sections 60 and JOO/Rules 30, .31 .37A, 39A, 56 & 70-Rajya
Sabha election-Bailor paper marked with green ink while blue ball
; point pen kept in voting booth for use by voter-Voting in'violation of
election rules-Hence ballot paper rightly rejected: mark not place in
the column earmarked for marking the preference but placed opposite
c
the name of the candidate: intention of the voter clearly indicated-
__.!.
Hence ballot papers rightly accepted.

Election of six Members to the Rajya Sabha by the elected Mem-
bers of the Tamil Nadu Legislature Assembly was held in June 1986. The D
appellant and respondent nos. I to 7 were the eight candidates in the
field. Respondent Nos. I to 6 were declared duly elected and the appel-
--{ lant was declared as having lost the election. The appellant thereupon
filed an election petition which was dismissed by the High Court.

Before this Court it was contended on behalf of the appellant that: E
~ ( 1) the first preference vote in his favour in which the first preference
was marked on the ballot paper in green ink had been wrongly rejected
....... on the ground that it was marked otherwise than with the article sup-
plied for the purpose, i.e., the ball-point pen with blue ink which had
y been kept in the voting booth; and (2) the tbree ballot papers indicating
the first preference in favour of the first respondent, which did not F
contain the figure 'I' .in the space intended for marking the said figure,
had been wrongly accepted. In support of the first contention it was
argued that: (1) the expression "article supplied for the purpose" used
in Rule 39A(2)(b) and Rule 73(2)(e) of the Condlll:t of Election Rules,
1961, was misconstrued by the High Court; (2) in the context of the
election law, the instructions contained in the hand-books, and the G
__.I.,
procedure followed in respect of the election to Lok Sabha and State
Assemblies, the expression "article supplied for the purpose" should be
' interpreted as meaning "actually given" or "handed over", and as
such the ball-point pen for marking the preference should have been
personally handed over to the voter with instructions to use it for mark-
ing his preference; (3) the mistake in the present case, namely, marking H

767
768 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1990] 1 S.C.R.

of the preference with green ink on the ballot paper, had occurred
A because no ball-point pen w:is handed over to the voter concerned; and
.'i
(4) the fundamental rule of election law is that effect should be given to
the intention of the voter and this could be done only by treating the
vote as valid.

~
B Dismissing the appeal, this Court,

HELD: (1) There is a material difference between an election to
Lok Sabha or a Legislative Assembly which is a direct election with one
constituency for each seat and only the vote is to be cast, and an election to
Rajya Sabha which is an indirect election with the preferential system :
of voting. This difference has to be taken into account in interpreting
c the relevant words used in the Rules relating to an election. [779D~E]
~
(2) Rule 39A(2)(b) read with Rule 37A(2)(a) of the Conduct of
Election Rules 1961 prescribes that at an election in a council an elector
in giving his vote shall place on his ballot paper the figure 'I' in the
D space opposite the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote in
the first instance with the article supplied for the purpose. Further,
Rule 73 which is directly applicable to the counting of votes at elections
by Assembly Members, prescribes that if on the ballot paper there is ~
any figure marked otherwise than with the article supplied for the
purpose, the ballot paper shall be invalid. -[777H; 778A; D]
E
~
(3) The High Court was right in interpreting the expression
"article supplied for the purpose" in Rule 39A(2)(b) and Rule 73(2)(e) y
of the Election Rules as meaning "made available for the purpose" or
"provided for the purpose." [778E]
'(
F Ram Utar Singh Bhaduria v. Ram Gaopal Singh & Ors., [1976] 1
SCR 191 distinguished.

(4) The difference in the case of an election to the Rajya Sabha
makes it wholly unT!ecessary that the Presiding Officer or the Polling
Officer should hand over to every votor individually a ball-point pen to
G mark his vote and it is enough if the article for marking the preference,
namely, ball-point pen, is provided to the voter to use the same for A
marking his preference or if the pen is placed in such a way as to make it
clear that the marking of the preference is to be done with that pen and
instructions given to use that pen for marking the preference. [779H; 780A-B]

H. (5) It is not enough for the vote to be valid that it is possible
ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R. BALU 769

to gather the intention of the voter to vote for a particular candi-
date. When the law prescribes that the intention should be expressed A
in a particular manner, it can be taken into account only if it is so
expressed. [777E-G)

Hari Vishnu Karnath v. Syed Ahmad Jshaque & Ors., [1955) 1
SCR 1104, refferred to. B

(6) Assuming that the voter in this case had expressed his inten-
tion clearly by marking the figure 1 in green ink, he did so in violation
of the express provisions of the Rules which have a statutory force and
hence no effect can be given to that intention. [778D I

(7) Clause (a) of sub-rule (2) of Rule 37A only provides that the c
.,..-4.
voter shall place on his ballot paper the figure 1 in the space opposite
the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote in the first
instance. It is significant that this rule does not specifically say that the
figure I must be placed in the column earmarked for marking the
preference but only requires that the figure 1 should be placed opposite D
the name of the candidate. [781D-E]

(8) In the case of the three first preference votes cast in favour of
respondent No. I the figure 1 was clearly marked opposite the name of
respondent no. l; being the candidate concerned, as required by the
express provision of the said Rule 37 A, and the intention of the voter E
was clearly to cast the first preference in favour of respondent No. I. [782E)

S. Sivaswami v. V. Malaikannan & Ors., [1984) 1SCR104, refer-
red to.

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 1577 F
(NCE) of 1987.

From the Judgment and Order dated 24.4.1987 of the Madras
High Court in Election Petition No. 1of1986.

Ram Jethmalani, Ms. Rani Jethmalani and M.G. Ramachandran G
for the Appellant.

R.K. Garg, S. Padmanabhan, K. Raj. Choudhary, R. Mohan,
K. Chandrashekharan, R. Ayyam Perumal, V. Krishnamurthy, S.
Thananjayan, K.V. Vijaya Kumar, A.V. Rangam and V.R. Karithi-
kayan for the Respondents. H
770 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1990] 1 S.C.R.

The Judgment of tpe Court was delivered by
A
KANIA, J. This is an appeal from a judgment and order
delivered by a learned Single Judge of the Madras High Court on April
24, 1987 dismissing an election petition filed by the appellant. The
appellant herein was the petitioner before the High Court and the

·~
B respondents nos. 1 to 8 herein were arraigned as respondents in the
same order in the election petition. The dispute pertains to the elec-
tion of six Members to the Rajya Sabha by the elected Members of the
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The election was held, as sche-
duled, on June 28, 1986. The appellant and respcmdents nos. 1 to 7
;
were the eight candidates in the field, all the nominations having been
found valid. The 8th respondent was the Returning Officer. The pol-
e ling took place, as scheduled, on June 28, 1986 and, immediately
thereafter, the ballot box was opened and the votes were sorted out.
The election was under the preferential system of voting and the
particulars of the first preferences votes cast and secured by the candi-
dates are as follows:
D

Candidates First Preference Votes

1. Appellant 33
2. 1st Respondent 35
E
3. 2nd Respondent 31 ...
'---
4. 3rd Respondent 33
•,
5. 4th Respondent 32 ~

y
6. 5th Respondent 34
F
7. 6th Respondent 34
8. 7th Respondent nil

Out of the 33 first preference votes cast in favour of the appel-
G !ant, one ballot paper was rejected by the 8th respondent, the Return-
ing Officer, on the ground that the said ballot paper was marked by the
voter otherwise than with the article supplied for that purpose. It may
be mentioned here that the first preference was indicated on the said
ballot paper by a ball-point pen with green ink whereas in the ball
point pen kept along with the ballot box had blue ink. The working
H result sheets of the counting were prepared and announced by the 8th
ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R. BALU !KANIA, J.] 771

respondent. The particulars of the said working result sheets are as
follows: A

I. Appellant 3219
2. 1st Respondent 3301
3. 2nd Respondent 3270 B
4. 3rd Respondent 3300
5. 4th Respondent 3301
6. 5th Respondent 3301
7. 6th Respondent 3301
c
In consequence, respondents nos. 1 to 6 were declared as duly
elected and the appellant was declared as having lost the election.

It is submitted by learned counsel for the appellant, that (1) the
first preference vote in his favour in which first preference was indi-
cated on the ballot paper in green ink was wrongly rejected. The D
rejection of the said ballot paper by the Returning Officer was duly
objected to by the appellant at the time of counting. The said ballot
paper is hereinafter referred to as "the said rejected ballot paper". If
the said rejected ballot paper had been received as valid, the appellant
would have the proportionate number of preference votes and would
have been declared elected. E

The second contention raised by the appellant was that three
ballot papers which did not contain the figure 1 in the space intended
for marking the said figure should have been rejected and the same
were wrongly accepted. These ballot papers had been used for casting
first preference votes in favour of the first respondent and if the same F
had been rejected, first respondent would not have been elected and in
his place the appellant would have been elected. Both the mistakes
according to the appellant materially affected the result of the
election.

Before going into the controversy raised before us, we may note G
the relevant provisions of the Election Law. The election petition was
filed under Chapter-II of the Representatjon of the People Act, 1951
(hereinafter referred to as "the said Act"). Section 59 of the said Act
provides that at every election where a poll is taken votes shall be
given by ballot in such manner as may be prescribed. We are not
H
772 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1990] 1 S.C.R.

A concerned here with the special procedure fo , oting provided in cer- '-'I
tain cases provided for under section 60 of ti. said Act. Section 100 of \
the said Act deals with the grounds for declaring elections to be void.
The relevant portion of the said section reads thus:

"100(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) if the
B High Court is of opinion-

(a) x x x

(b) x x x

(c) That any nomination has been improperly rejected; or
c
(d) that the result of the election, in so far as it concerns a J.__
returned candidate, has been materially affected-

(i) by the improper acceptance or any nomination, or
D
(ii) by any corrupt practice committed in the interests of
the returned candidate by an agent other than his election
agent, or '~

-
(iii) by the improper reception, refusal or rejection of any
E vote or the reception of any vote which is void, or

(iv) by any non-compliance with the provisions of the Con-
stitution or of this Act or of any rules or orders made under
this Act,

F the High Court shall declare the election of the returned
candidate to be void".

Conduct of Election Rules,'1961 (referred to hereinafter as "the
Election Rules") came into force on 25th of April, 1961. Rule 30 of the
Election Rules prescribes the form of the ballot papers. Rule 31 of the
G Election Rules provides for arrangements at polling stations. Sub-rule
(3) of Rule 31 runs as under: )-..__

"(3) the returning officer shall provide at each polling
station a sufficient number of ballot boxes, copies of the
relevant part of the electroal roll, ballot papers, instru-
H ments for stamping the distinguishing mark on ballot
ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R. BALU [KANIA, J.] 773

··~ papers and articles, necessary for electors to mark the bal- A
lot papers."

Rule 39 of the Election Rules deals with the maintenance of
secrecy of voting by electors within polling stations and the voting
procedure. The material portion of sub-rule (2) of that rule runs as B

•
;
follows:

"(2) The elector on receiving the ballot paper shall
forthwith-

(a) proceed to one of the voting compartments:
c
(b) there make a mark on the ballot paper with the instru-
ment supplied for the purpose on or near the symbol of the
candidate for whom he intends to vote."

Rule 70 lays down rules for the conduct of polls. The portion of 0
Rule 70 material for the purposes of the case runs as follows:

"(a) x x x x

(b) to every election in a council unless voting by postal
ballot has been directed in the whole of that constituency

-
E
under clause (b) of rule 68,

subject to the following modifications, namely:

(i) clause (a) of sub-rule (1) of rule 31 shall not apply to an
election by assembly members; F

(ii) in lieu of rules 37 to 40, the following rules shall apply:

37 A. Method of voting. ( 1) Every elector has only cine
vote at an election irrespective of the number of seats to be
filled. G
(2) An elector in giving his vote-

(a) shall place on his ballot paper the figure 1 in the space
opposite the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to
vote in the first instance; and H
774 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [ 1990] I S.C.R.

A
(b) may, in addition, place on his ballot paper the figure 2 '-1
or the figures 2 and 3 or the figures 2, 3 and 4 and so on, in
the space opposite the names of the other candidates in the
order of his preference.

38A. x x x x
B
39A. Maintenance of secrecy of voting by electors within
polling station and voting procedure-(!) Every elector, to
whom a ballot paper has been issued under rule 38A or
under any other provision of these rules, shall maintain
secrecy of voting within the polling station and for that
purpose observe the voting procedure hereinafter laid
c down.

(2) The elector on receiving the ballot paper shall forth-
with-

D (a) proceed to one of the voting compartments;

(b) record his vote in accordance with sub-rule (2) of rule
37 A with the article supplied for the purpose. ·'r--

(c) fold the ballot paper so as to conceal his vote;
E
(d) insert the folded paper in the ballot box; and

(e) quit the polling station:

(It is not necessary to quote the rest of Rule 39A for the purposes of
F this Judgment)

It was submitted by learned counsel for the appellant that the
express on "article supplied for the purpose" used in Rule 39A(2)(b)
and Rule 73(2)(e) of the Election Rules was misconstrued by the High
Court. It was submitted by him that in the context of the election law
G and the instructions contained in the hand-books to which reference
will be made that expression should be interpreted as meaning "actu-
ally given" or "handed over". In this regard, reference was made to
instructions given to the Presiding Officer in respect of elections to
Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The relevant instructions in the said
hand-book provide that the procedure followed in respect of the elec-
H tion to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies is that the Polling Officer or
ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R BALU [KANIA, l.) 775

~ Polling Assistant must give the rubber stamp properly inked to the A
' voter before he proceeds into the voting booth for marking his choice
and the Polling Officer or Polling Assistant must take back the said
rubber stamp from the voter after he comes out from the voting both
having cast his vote and then hand it over to the next voter and so on.
It was urged that the same procedure should have been followed
mutatis matandis in the case of an election to the Legislative Council B
like the one in question before us, and if this were done, it would imply
that the ball-point pen for marking the preference should have been
personally handed over to the voter with instructions to use it for
marking his preference. This argument is not worthy of acceptance. As
pointed out by the High Court, the nature of the elections to the Lok
Sabha and the State Assemblies is different from that of elections to a
Legislative Council or Rajya Sabha and this difference has to be taken c
__..i into account in interpreting the relevant words used in the rules relat-
ing to an election. The election to Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies
is a direct election on the basis of a single member constituency where
the voter has only one choice whereas in the case of an election to the
Rajya Sabha, the said election is by members of the Legislative D
Assemblies of the States and the election is an indirect election con-
ducted on the principle of proportional representation by means of a
single transferable vote. In the case of elections to the Lok Sabha and
State Assemblies, a rubber stamp with arrow cross-mark is provided
with which the voter has to make a mark on the symbol of the candi-
date of his choice in the ballot paper. Many of the voters are not E
familiar with the election procedure and it is in these circumstances
that the requirement has been provided that a rubber stamp containing
the cross-mark properly inked should be handed over to each voter
with instructions to use the same for marking his vote or choice. In the
case of the election to the Rajya Sabha or a Legislative Council, the
situation is entirely different. The number of voters is limited. One F
could assume that they are reasonably familiar with the procedure of
voting; and the article supplied for marking the preference is a foun-
tain pen or ball-~oint pen. In these circumstances, there is hardly any
warrant for requiring that the procedure of handing over personally to
each voter the hticle for marking his preference should be followed
and it is quiteladequate if the article for marking the preference, G
namely, the fo ntain pen or ball-point pen is made available in the
voting booth with clear instructions that the same should be used in
marking the preference. It must also be borne in mind that there is no
express rule or instruction in connection with the elections to the Ra-
jya Sabha by Members of the State Assemblies or elections to the
Legislative Councils of States which specifically requires that the arti- H
776 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1990) 1 S.C.R.

A cle for marking the preference should be handed over to each voter
personally. In these circumstances, in our view, the High Court was
right in interpreting the expression "article supplied for the purpose"
in Rule 39A(2)(b) and Rule 73(2)(e) of the Election Rules as meaning
"made available for the purpose" or "provided for the purpose".
Reliance was placed by learned counsel for the appellant on the deci-
B sion of this Court in Ram Utar Singh Bhaduria v. Ram Gopal Singh
& Ors., (1976] 1 SCR 191 and particularly, the observations at page
200 of the said report. We are of the view that that decision as well as
the other decisions in this connection cited before us are in connection
with the elections to the Lok Sabha or the State Assemblies and have ;
no application to an indirect election like the election to the Rajya
C Sabha by Members of State Assemblies.

Rule 56 of the Election Rules deals with counting of votes. The >--
material portion of sub-rule (2) of Rule 56 of the Election Rules runs
as follows:

D "56. Counting of Votes. (1) The ballot papers taken out of
each ballot box shall be arranged in convenient bundles
and scrutinized.

(2) The returning officers shall reject a ballot paper-

E (a) x x x

(b) If it bears no mark at all or, to indicate the vote it bears
a mark elsewhere than on or near the symbol of one of the
-
"'-

candidates on the face of the ballot paper or, it bears a
mark made otherwise than with the instrument supplied for -1
F the purpose, or .... "

Rule 73 deals with the scrutiny of opening of ballot boxes and
packets of postal ballot papers. The material portion of sub-rule (2) of
Rule 73 runs as follows:

G "(2) a ballot paper shall be invalid on which-

(a) the figure 1 is not marked; or

(b) the figure 1 is set opposite the name or more than one
candidate or is so placed as to render it doubtful to which
H candidate it is intended to apply; or
ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R. BALU [KANIA, J.) 777

(c) x x x A

(d) x x x

( e) there is any figure marked otherwise than with the arti-
cle supplied for the purpose."
B
It would now be convenient to deal with the first contention of
the learned counsel for the appellant. As we have already pointed out,
the said rejected ballot paper was rejected on the ground that it was
marked otherwise than with an article supplied for the purpose. As we
have already pointed out, the figure 1 indicating the first preference in
the said ballot paper was marked i!J green ink whereas in the ball-point C
pen kept in the voting booth with the ballot box, the ink used was blue.
The returning officer took the view that the said marking of preference
in green ink clearly established that it was done with a ball-point pen
other than the one which was supplied for marking the preference and
hence the vote was invalid. It was urged by Shri Jethmalani in this
connection that although the marking of preference was done in green D
ink, there was no doubt that the intention of the over concerned was to
give the first preference vote to the appellant. It was submitted by him
that the fundamental rule of election law is that effect should be given
to the intention of the voter and this could be done only by treating the

-
vote as valid, as the intention of the voter was quite clear. Mr. Jethma-
lani may be right when he contends that the intention of the voter E
could be clearly gathered and it was to cast the first preference vote for
the appellant. However, it is not enough for the vote to be valid that it
is possible to gather the intention of the vote'r to vote for a particular
candidate as pointed out by the Constitution Bench of this Court in the
'y leading case of Hari Vishnu Karnath v. Syed Ahmad Ishaque and
Others, [1955] 1 SCR 1104 at page 1132. This Court held that (1132): F

"But when the law prescribes that the intention should be
expressed in a particular manner, it can be taken into
account only if it is so expressed. An intention not duly
expressed is, in a court of law, in the same position as an
intention not expressed at all." G

In the present case Rule 39(2)(b) which is applicable to the elec-
tion petition before us clearly prescribes that the vote must be cast by
the voter in accordance with the said sub-rule (2) of Rule 39 of the
Election Rules, with the article supplied for the purpose. Rule
39A(2)(b) read with Rule 37A(2)(a) prescribes that an elector in giv- H
I
778 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1990) 1 S.C.R.

A ing his vote shall place on his ballot paper the figure 1 in the space
opposite the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote in the
first instance with the article supplied for the purpose. Hence, unless
the ball-point pen kept with the ballot box is not to be regarded as the
article supplied for marking the preference, the intention of the
elector in the present case cannot be given effect to as it was expressed
B in a manner inconsistent with the provisions in the rules. Clause (b) of
sub-rule (2) of Rule 56 of the Election Rules provides inter alia that if a
ballot paper contains a mark made on it otherwise than with the instru-
ment supplied for the purpose, the returning officer shall reject the
said ballot paper. Rule 73 is included in Part VII of the Election Rules
and that Part applies to the counting of votes at elections by Assembly
C members. Clause (e) of sub-rule (2) of Rule 73 of the Election Rules
set out earlier that a ballot paper shall be invalid on which there is any
figure marked otherwise than with the article supplied for the purpose.
Rule 73 is directly applicable to the case of the election in question and
as aforesaid it prescribes that if on the ballot paper there is any figure
marked otherwise than with the article supplied for the purpose, the
D ballot paper shall be invalid. Assuming that the voter in this case had
expressed his intention clearly by marking the figure 1 in green ink, he
did so in violation of the express provisions of the Rules which have a
statutory force and hence no effect can be given to that intention.

-
It was next argued in this connection that the expression "article
E supplied for the purpose" as used in the said Rules 39A(2)(b) and
73(2)( e) was misconstrued by the Presiding Officer and the High Court
in the present case. It was submitted by learned counsel for the appel-
lant that Rule 56(2)(b) was not complied with by making a ball-point
pen available in the polling compartment near the ballot box for the
use of the electors in marking their preference as law required that the
F Polling Officer should personally hand over the ball-point pen to the
voter before he proceeds to the voting booth with instructions to mark
his preference with that ball-point pen. He referred to the hand-book
dealing with the procedure prescribed in elections to the Lok Sabha
and to the Legislative Assemblies and submitted that the said proce-
dure was applicable mutatis mutandis to elections to the Rajya Sabha
G and the Legislative Councils. It was urged by him that the second
proviso to clause (e) of sub-rule (2) of Rule 73 of the Election Rules
provides that if the returning officer is satisfied that any such defect as
is mentioned in the said clause has been caused by any mistake or fault
on the part of the Presiding Officer or Polling Officer, the ballot paper
shall not be rejected merely on the ground of the said defect. It was
H contended by him that the Polling Officer was bound to hand over to
ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R. BALU [KANIA, J.l 779

~ preference
each voter individually the ball-point pen to be used for marking his
on the ballot paper. He submitted that the duty of the
A
Polling Officer was to hand over the ball-point pen to the voter to use
the same for marking his preference and it was also his duty to take
back the said pen from the voter after he has cast his vote and given the

•
same to the next voter. He urged that merely providing a ball-point
pen for voting did not constitute substantial compliance with Rule B
39A(2)(b) or Rule 73(2)(e). He urged that the mistake in the present
case, namely, marking of the preference with green ink on the ballot
paper, had occurred because no ball-point pen was handed over as
aforesaid to the voter concerned. We are unable to accept this submis-
sion. The procedure followed in an election to the Lok Sahba or the
State Assembly is to give to the voter a rubber stamp for voting with an
arrow mark properly inked with instructions to use the same for voting c
__..... before the voter enters the voting compartment to put his mark against
the name of the candidate for whom he desires to vote and to take the
rubber stamp back from the voter when he comes out of the voting
compartment and to repeat this process for every voter. In the first
place, it must be noticed that there is no rule or standing order requir- D
ing the Presiding Officer or to follow this procedure in the case of an
election to the Rajya Sabha or Legislative Council of a State. There is
·-~ a material difference between an election to Lok Sabha or a Legisla-
live Assembly which is a direct election with one constituency for each

-
. .,,
seat and only vote is to be cast and an election to Rajya Sabha which is
an indirect election with the preferential system of voting. Sub-rule (2)
of Rule 39 which is applicable to such an election to a Legislative
Assembly provide that the elector on receiving the ballot paper has to
make a mark on the ballot paper with the instrument supplied for the
purpose on or near the symbol of the candidate for whom he intends to
E

' vote. It is only in the case of an election like this that it becomes
I necessary to provide a rubber stamp properly inked to the voter to F
mark his preference. It must be remembered that in such an election
case, the number of voters or electors is extremely large and many of
them might be unfamiliar with the voting procedure. An election to
the Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, is an indirect election with multi-
pie candidates' constituency and the system of voting followed is the
preferential system of voting. Rule 37A of the Election Rules which is G
.,__J applicable to such an indirect election by virtue of the provisions of
Rule 70 provides that an elector in giving his vote shall place on his
ballot paper figure 1 in the space opposite the name of the candidate
for whom he wishes to vote in the first instance. This difference in the
' case of an election to the Ra jya Sabha makes it wholly unnecessary
that the Presiding Officer or the Polling Officer should hand over to H
)
780 SUPREME COURT REPORTS I1990] I S.C.R.
A every voter individually a ball-point pe11 to mark his vote and it would - I .· ·
quite wholly be adequate if the article for marking the preference, ---,~ ""$'
namely, a ball-point pen, is provided to the voter to use the same for
marking his preference or if the pen is placed in such a way as to make
it clear that the marking of the preference is to be done with that pen
and instructions given to use that pen for marking the preference. The
B evidence of the returning officer, which has been accepted by the High
Court is to the effect that there were two voting compartments in the
polling booth and in each of them a ball-point pen with blue ink was
kept as soon as an elector went into the polling booth, one Polling
Assistant gave him his identity slip and another Polling Assistant gave
to the elector printed copies of Rules .37A and 39A of the Election
Rules and a copy of the guidelines. Then the elector went to the first
C Polling Officer who obtained his signature in the counter-foil of the
ballot paper and instructed the elector that he should mark his prefe- ..L
rence on the ballot paper with the article kept for the purpose inside
' the voting compartment. Another Polling Officer gave the ballot
paper to the voter and again instructed him to go into the voting
D compartment and mark the ballot paper with the article kept there for
that purpose, fold the ballot paper before corning out and put in into
the ballot box in front of the Polling Officer. In the light of this evi-
dence, we are of the view that the ball-point pen with blue ink kept in "'r-
the voting compartment for marking the preference must be regarded
as the article supplied for that purpose, namely, the purpose of the
E voter marking his preference on the ballot paper. It was submitted by
learned counsel for the appellant that it was possible that a voter might
have used his own pen if the pen kept in the voting compartment was
not working and such a vote cannot be regarded as invalid. We are not
concerned with a case of that kind here as there is no evidence that in
-.
any voting compartment the ball-point pen kept there was not work- ...(
F ing. It was next urged that if a voter had used another ball-point pen,
that is, other than the one kept in the voting compartment containing
the blue ink, it would not have been possible to find out that the
preference marked with such a ball-point pen had been used for mark-
ing the preference and not the pen supplied. This is of no relevance
here. The possibility that in a given case a breach of the rules may be
G difficult to detect cannot lead to the conclusion that the mandatory
requirement that preference on the ballot paper must be marked with )-...-.,:
the article supplied for the purpose should be regarded as not binding
in law. We are, therefore, of the view that the said ballot paper was
rightly rejected by the returning officer and the arguments urged by
learned counsel for the appellant in that contention must be rejected.
H
--- - - - - - - - - - -

ERA SEZHIYAM v. T.R. BALU (KANIA, J.J 781

.. The next point is regarding the three first preference votes cast in
favour of respondent no. 1 which were accepted by the returning·
officer as stated earlier. In respect of these three votes, the figure 1is
• 1arked, not in the right-hand column opposite the name of respon-
..;. it no. 1, but in the left-hand column containing the name of candi-
date and opposite the name of respondent no. 1. The appellant unsuc-
cessfully objected to the validity of these three ballot papers on the B
ground that the first preference had not been marked in the space
provided for that purpose opposite the name of the candidate con-
cerned, namely, respondent no. 1, as required by Rule 37A(2). It was
·submitted 'by learned counsel for the appellant that the returning
officer as well as the High Court were in error in holding that the said
three ballot papers were valid. We propose to discuss this controversy
very shortly because we are in full agreement with the reasoning and c
conclusions given by the High Court in its impugrfed judgment in
coming to the conclusion that the returning officer was justified in
rejecting the objections preferred by the appellant to the said three
votes and holding that the same were valid. The relevant portion of
Rule 37A(2) of the Election Rules has already been quoted earlier. D
Clause (a) of sub-rule (2) of that Rule only provides that the voter
shall place on his ballot paper the figure I in the space opposite the
name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote in the first instance.
It is significant that this rule does not specifically say that the figure 1
must be placed in the column earmarked for marking the preference.
but only requires that the figure ·1 should be placed opposite the name E
of the candidate. Sub-rule (4) of Rule 71 which is a definition runs as
follows: '

"71(4): 'first preference' means the figure 1 set opposite
the name of a candidate; 'second preference' means the
figure 2 set opposite the name of a candidate; 'third prefe- F
rence' means the figure 3' set opposite the name of a candi-
date, and so on;" · ·

It is significant that in this sub-rule also there is nothing to indi-
cate that the preference must be indicated in the column reserved for
that purpose, the only requirement being that the figure 1 should be G
written opposite the name of the candidate. Similarly, sub-rule (2)(b)
of Rule 73 only lays down that if the figure 1 is set opposite the name of
more than one candidate or is so placed as to render it doubtful to
which candidate it applied, the ballot paper would be invalid. Sub-rule
(2) of Rule 73 deals with the invalidity of ballot papers and that sub-
rule nowhere. states that merely by reason of the preference being H
782 SUPREME .COURT REPORTS [1990l 1 S.C.R.

A marked in the wrong column, if the marking is opposite the name of .J
the candidate concerned, the ballot paper shall be rendered invalid. It ~
is true that the column in which the preference should have been
marked and intended for that purpose was the column on the right-
hand side of the first column where the name of the candidate was to
be put; but there is no express provision to the effect that unless the
B
preference is marked in the correct column, the ballot paper would be
invalid. In such a situation, the principle enunciated by this Court in
several judgments and reiterated in S. Sivaswami v. V. Ma/aikannan &
Ors., [1984] 1 SCR 104 that the primary task of the Court in a case
where the question is whether the ballot paper is invalid is to ascertain
the intention of the voter, must be applied. In that case, the Court held
C that the ballot paper shall not be rejected as invalid if it is reasonably
possible to gather a definite indication from the marking so as to
identify the candidate in favour of whom the vote had been intended to
be given. This, of course, is subject to the rule that before a ballot~
paper is accepted as valid the ballot paper must not be invalid under
any other express provision and the intention of the voter must not be .
D expressed in a manner which is contrary to or totally inconsistent with
the manner prescribed under the said Act or the Election Rules for
expressing the same. In the case of the said, three votes in question,
the figure 1 was clearly marked opposite the name of respondent no. 1, · ~
being the candidate concerned, as required by the express provision of
the said Rule 37 A and the intention of the voter was clearly to cast the
E first preference in favour of respondent no. 1. In these circumstan<:es,
the ballot papers were rightly accepted by the returning officer as valid
and the High Court was justified in coming to the conclusion to which

F
it has;~r::::~sult, t~e
the appeal fails and is dismissed. However, consid-
ering the facts and circumstances of case, there will be no order as
"I1
to costs.

R.S.S. Appeal dismissed.