Holding

Respondent No. 3 was guilty of corrupt practice under section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and his election was declared void.

Summary

The appellant challenged the election of respondent No. 3 to the Punjab Legislative Assembly on the ground that the candidate had committed a corrupt practice under section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The allegation was that the Akal Takht, the supreme religious authority of the Sikhs, had sponsored the candidate, issued a Hukamnama, and that election meetings appealed to Sikh voters on religious grounds, warning of sacrilege for non‑compliance. The High Court held that the documents were not genuine Hukamnamas and dismissed the petition for lack of proof. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether the sponsorship, the alleged Hukamnama and the speeches amounted to an appeal to religion, the effect of the 1961 amendment deleting the word “systematic”, and the standard of proof required for corrupt practice. Relying on oral evidence, the Court concluded that the communications had the effect of a Hukamnama and that the candidate appealed to religion, thereby violating section 123(3). Consequently, the election was set aside and the seat declared vacant.

Issues considered

Whether the appellant proved that respondent No. 3 appealed to religion in violation of section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Whether the documents presented were genuine Hukamnamas and whether they carried religious authority sufficient to influence voters.
Whether the amendment deleting the term “systematic” from section 123(3) makes a single appeal on religious grounds a corrupt practice.
What standard of proof is required to establish a corrupt practice under section 123(3).
Whether the mixed composition of the constituency (Hindu and Sikh voters) affects the likelihood of an appeal to religion.
Whether the source of information must be disclosed for proper verification of an affidavit or petition under section 83 of the Act.

Legislation cited

Amending Act 40 of 1961 (as amended on 12 September 1964)
Representation of the People Act, 1951s. 100(1)(b), s. 101(1)(b), s. 123(2), s. 123(3), s. 123(3A), s. 83

Subjects

Election lawCorrupt practiceRepresentation of the People ActAppeal to religionHukamnamaAkal TakhtSecular democracyStandard of proofMixed constituency

Judgment

159

A

S. HARCHARAN SINGH

v.
S. SAJJAN SINGH AND ORS. B

November 29, 1984.

[S. MURTAZA FAZAL ALI, A. VARADARAJAN AND SABYASACHI

MUKHARJI JJ.]
c
. R•presentation of the People Act (43 of 1951). s. 123 (3) (as amtnded by
Act 40of1961)-Ejfect of amendment-Ev<n a single appeal on ground of rt/I·
gion, etc. amounts to a cerrupt practice.
Representation of the People Act. 1951, s. 123 (2), (3) and (3A)-Scop.
and object of-Object of amendment-Duty of Court-Appeal to religion-Test
Substance and total effect of statement to be considered. D
Hukamnama-What is-Test for determination thertof-Shri Akal Takth
importance in Sikh community-Communications from Akal Takht in any form
whatsoever-Whether Hukamnama-Effect thereof on the members of Sikh
community-Writing in Party papers and sp,echts made by prominent /eackrs
of the Party at election meeti_ngs to the same effect-No express denial 01 ex-
planation by the maker-Whether inference can be drawn that the a/legation
1tands proved. E
Representation of the Ptople Act, 1951, s. 123 (3)-Appea/ on ground of
religion-Evidence mo1tly oral-Duty of Court-Standard of proof required and
Test to be applied to determine corrupt practice.

•
• "i
Representation of the Pecp/e Act, 1951, s.123 (3)-Constituency, a mixed
one-Hindu votes and Sikh votes practically divided equal/y-Akali Party, to
which the returned candidate belonged to, in alliance with CPI (M}--Whether
F

appeal on ground of religion probable-Whether probabilities of such a campaign
• can outweigh direct evidence if acceptable by Court.

Practice and Procedure-Source to be disclosed for a proper verification of
an affidavit or a petition based on certain information.
G
The expression "systematic" has been deleted from sub-section (3) of
section 123 of the Representation of the People Act 195! by the Amending Act
40 of 1961 w.e f, September 12, 1964. Consequently, even a s/nga/ appeal
by a candidate or bis agent or by any other person with the consent of the
candidate or his election agint to vote or refrain from voting for any ptrson on
the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language etc. would be a
corrupt practice. H
160 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985] 2 s.c.R.
A
The appellant challenged the election of respondent No. 3 to the Punjab
Legislative Assembly oa the allegations of corrupt practice. It was contended
that section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act had been violated
for three reasons, namely, (a) Sponsorship of respondent No. 3 and distribution
B of electio11 ticket to him for the Assembly elections by the Akal Takht, "the
supreme religious authority of the Sikhs", (b) Issue of Hukamnama (Ex.p-4)
by the Jathedar of the Akal Takht in the matter of Assembly elections having
regard to the circumstances in which it was issued, indicated that the approval
of the Akal Takht was obtained in order to give this decision a colour of •
religious authority, and (c) Appeal to the voters at election meetings by referring
to the Hukamnama, to the writings in the Akali Times and ex borting them to
c vote for respondent No. 3 by applying to the religious sentiments and warning
them of the consequences of not doing so. It was further alleged that an ex·
Chief Minister of the State as well as the respondent No. 3 himself had repre-
sented to the voters at different election meetings that respondent No. 3 had
been sponsored by the Akal Takht.

D Respondent No. 3 denied the aforesaid allegations and contended that
tho alleged Hukamnamas were not Hukamnamas of Akal Takht.

The High Court held that Akal Takht was a symbol of political and
religious powers and the documents alleged to be the Hukamnamas were 004
in fact, Hukamnamas of Akal Takht, but contained decision of the leaders of
the Akali Party written on the letter-head of the Akal Takht aad announced
E by a Jathedar, and the appellant had not succeeded in proving the charges of
corrupt practice. The election petition was accordingly dismissed.

The contentions raised in the High Court were reiterated by the appellant
before this Court. In addition, it was contended (i) The documents shown at
the meetings were Hukamnamas and having regard to the background it cannot
be said that it did not have the effect of a Hukamnama on the community at
F large of inducing them to believe that ignorning the claim of the" candidate
nominated by Shri Akal Takht and represented to be supported by Hukamnama
would be an act of sacrilege on the part of a good Sikh ; and (ii) Respondent
No. 3 being a Sikh and a member of the Akali Dal and having known of the
conditions precedent which were required to be fulfilled before a proper Hukum.
.
r •
nama could be issued had not chosen to raise these contentions in his written
G statement. It was a1so urged that the concept of secular democracy is the basis
of the Indian Constitution and that the paramount and basic purpose underly..
ing section 123 (3) of the Act is the concept of secular democracy. S~ti~n
123 (3) was enacted to eliminate from the electoral process, appeals to d1V1sive
factors such as religion. caste, etc. which give vent to irrational passions. It is
essential that powerful emotions generated by religion should not be permitted
to be exhibited during election and that decision and choice o~ the peo~Ie are
not coloured in any way. Condemnation of electoral campaigns on hoes of
religion. caste. etc. is necessarily implicit in the language of section 123 (3) of
the Act. Consequently the section must be so construed as to suppress the
H inischief and ~dvance the remedy.
HARCHARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH 161
Respondent No. 3 contested the appeal, and it was urged : (i) i~ order
to constitute a Hukumnama proper there were certain conditions precedent. A
which were required to be fulfilled, namely, there should be a meeting of
Sarbat Khalsa, that io;, a meeting of all the Sikhs and secondly anunanimous
decision must be arrived at which should be followed by the approval of
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the decision should be
announced from Shri A kal Takht and that in the instant case no such Hukam-
nama had b~en issued ; (ii) the constitueacy was a mixed constituency equally
divided into Hindu votes and Sikh votes and an appeal in the name of the B
Sikh religion in such a situation was unlikely ; and (iii) the Akali Party was in
alliance with CPI (M) and it was most improbable that when one of the allied
parties was a Marxist Party, a candidate of Akali Dal would appeal in the
name of religion.

r Allowing the appeal, C

•,• HELD : 1. Respondent No. 3 was guilty of corrupt practice under
section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. [189D]

2. As a result of amendment of sub-section (3) of section 123 of the Act
even a hingle appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with
the consent of the candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting D
for any person on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or
language would be corrupt practice. [1650]

3. Section 123 (2), (3) and (3A) of the Act were enacted to eliminate
from the electoral process appeals to those divisive factors which arouse irra-
tional passions that run counter to the basic tenets of the Constitution. Due
respect for the religious beliefs and practices, race, creed, culture and language E
of other citizens is one of the basic postulates of our democratic system. The
line has to be drawn by the court between what is permissible and what is pro-
hibited after taking into account the facts and circumstances of each case
interpreted in the context in which the statements or acts complained of might
have been made. The court has to examine the effect of statements made by the
, candidate upon the minds and feelings of the ordinary average voter. [17JB-D]
• • F
Ambika Sharan Singh v. Mahant Mahadev and Giri and Others, [1969] 3
s.c.C. 492 and Ziyauddin Burhanuddin Bukhari v. Brijmohan Ramdas Mehra
and Ors., [1975] Suppl. S.C.R. 7.81, relied upon .
• 4. With a view to curb communal and separatist tendencies, section
123 (3) of the Act has been amended in 1961. In order to determine whether
certain activities come within the mischief of section 123 (3), regard must be G
had to the substance of the matter rather than to the mere form or phraseology.
The inhibition of section 123 (3) should not be permitted to be circumvented
indirectly or by circuitous or subtle devices. The court should attach impor·
tance to the effect and impact of the acts complained of and always keep in
mind the paramount purpose, namely, to prevent religious influence from enter-
ing the electoral field. The nature and consequence of an act may not appear
pq i\s very face but the same 9an be implied havin~ re¥ard to the lan~uase, H
162 SUPREME COURT REP ORTS (1985] 2 S.C.R.

A the context, the status and position of the person issuing the statement, the
appearance and known religion of the candidate, the class of persons to whom
th• statement of act is directed, etc. [176C-F]

5. It wouldnot be an appeal to religion if a candidate is put up by saying
vote for bim because he is a good Sikh or he is a good Christian or he is a good
Muslim, but it would be an appeal to religion if it is publicised that not to vote
B for him would be against Sikh religion or against Christian religion or against
Hindu religion or to vote for the other candidate would be an act against a
particular religion. It is the total effect of such an appeal that has to be borne
in mind in deciding whether there was an appeal to religion as such or not. In
each case, therefore, the substance of the matter has to be judged. [182E·G]

This question, however, has to be kept in view within proper limit and
religious leaders have right freely to express their opinion 011 the comparative
merits of the contesting candidates and to canvass for such of them as he
considered worthy of the confidence of the electorates. [183B]
'
Shubnath Deogram v. Ram Narain Prasad and Others, (1960] l S.C.R.,
953, Ram Dia/v. Sant Lal and Others, [1959] Supp. 2 S.C.R., 748 and Ku/tar
Singh v. Mukhtiar Singh, [1964] 7 S.C.R., 790, followed.

D 6. Whether the documents said to be Hukamnamas were actually
Hunkamnamas or not should not be decided in a technical manner. In these
matter the Court has to examine the effect or the statements made by the
candidate on his behalf upon the minds and the feelings of the ordinary voters
of the country. It is undisputed that Shri Akal Takht enjoys a unique position
amongst the Sikhs. It is indubitable that any communication from Shri Akal
Takht which is represented by eminent members of the Sikh community as
E Hukamnama would have great religious persuasive value even though strictly
speaking it might or might not be a Hukamnama. [182A·D]

Ziyauddin Burhanuddin Bukhari v. Brijmohan Ramdas Mehra & Ors.,
[1975] Suppl. S.C.R., 281, relied upon.

Glory of the Akal Takht, p. 97 by Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Singh The Sikh
F Religion Vol. IV, p. 3 by M. A. Macaulif!e and A Hlstory of the Sikhs by
Khuswant Singh Vo. I : 1469-1839, p. 63, referred to. • •
7. From the evidence on record, in the background of the fact that some
communications from Akal Takht call it Hukamnama or any other name were
issued and the issues of editorials of Akali Times were pointed out by the ex.
Chief Minister at the meetings, and the san1e had not been denied by him, it is
G apparant that appeal in the name of religion was made on behalf of the
respondent No. 3. Though some facts stated in the oral evidence about the
meetings had not been stated in the petition, but when evidence was tendered
and was not shaken in cross-examination and the versions have a ring of truth
in the background of other facts, the factum of appeal to re1igion by the respon·
dent No. 3 has been proved. This conclusion becomes irresistible in view of
absence of any express denial by the ex-Chief minister and in the absence of any
H explanation for not caUin~ him as a witness on this point, (188-E to !89Aj
HARCHARAN SINGH V. SAJJAN SINGH 163

s. It is not a question of merely proving a fact by adverse presumption.
A
Jn cases where there is positive evidence to prove a fact and there is no denial
by the person \Vho is mo3t competent to deny that fact and no reason was given
for his not giving evidence the conclusion is that the evidence advanced must
be ac..:epted. In the instant case, in the background of his eminence and his

., ~
position, as the ex-Chief Minister, his relationship with respondent No. 3 and
especially in view of the fact that respondent No. 3 had in fact been nominated
by the same group on behalf of the Sikh community with which the ex.Chief 8
Minister was so intimately connected leads to the conclusion that the evidence
advanced on behalf of the appeUant must be accepted. It is clear that the ex·
Chief Minister as weU as the elected candidate himself represented to the electo·
rate that respondent No. 3 was a nominee of the Akal Takht and that an appea1
to vote for respondent No. 3 in the name of Akal Takht with all the conse·
quences of Hukamnama of Akal Takht was highlighted before the electorate.
[185H ; I86A-D] c
9. In matters of this nature, the evidence naturally is mostly oral.
Especially where the charge is a grave one, namely, corrupt practice which if
proved would disentitle the candidate to contest the election for sometime to
come, the Court must proceed with caution. [188C]

Rahim Khan v. Khurshid Ahmed & Ors., (1975] 1 S.C.R. 643 and Ch. D
Razik Ram v. Ch. J.S. Chauhan & Ors., A.I.R. 1975 S.C. 667, relied upon.

Kanhaiya/a/ v. Manna/a/ & Ors., (1976] 3 S.C.R. 808 and M. Narayana
Rao v. G. Venkata Reddy & Ors., (1977] I S.C.R. 493, referred to,

10. While insisting on standard of strict proof, the Court should not
extend or stretch this doctrine to such an e~treme extent as to make it-Well-nigh E
impossible to prove an allegation of corrupt practice. Such an approach would
defeat and frustrate the very laudable and sacrosanct object of the Act in
maintaining purity of the electoral process. [189B]

Ram Saran Yadav v. Thakur Muneshawar Nath Singh &: Ors. (CiYil
Appeal No. 892 (NCE) of 1980). relied upon.
F
J 11. The contentions of the respondent No. 3 that since it was a mixed
~onstituency and his party was in alliance with CPI (M), it was unlikely and
improbable to make an appeal in the name of religion, are rejected for the
reason tha_t if there is conclusive evidence to that effect then such a theory would
not outweigh the facts proved, These are only proabilitie~ or a situation but
• if there is direct evidence of propaganda or campaign by candidate in the eJec.
tion in. the. name of religion, the probabilities of such a campaign not being G
m?de tn ;1ew of other surrounding circumstances, cannot outweigh the direct
evidence 1f the Court is other-wise inclined to accept such direct evidence. (I 70B-C]

Ambika Sharan Singh v. Mahan/ Mahadev and Giri and Others, [1969] 3
S.C.C. 492, followed.

12. For a proper verification of an affidavit or a petition based 00
~ertaiq inforlllations, tQe source sQoqld be in4icated. :Qut iQ the instant case, q
164 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1985} 2 S.C.R.
this question was not examined further because no objection at any stage was
A taken. [lll9F]

Ziyauddin Burhanuddin Bukhari v. Brijmohan Ramdas Mehra & Or.s.,
[1975] Suppl. S.C.R. 281 l'admabati Dasi v. Raslk Lal Dhar, 1.L.R, XXXVII
Calcutta 259 at 260 and Hardwari Lal v. Kanwal Singh, [1972] 2 S.C.R. 742,
followed.
B
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDITION : Civil Appeal No. 3419
(NCE) of 1981

From the Judgment and Order dated the 14ti1 October, 1981
of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Election Petition No. 40
c of 1980
'r ,
Soli J. Sorabji, K. P. Bhandari S. C. pate/ and Dr. Ruksana
Swamy for the appellant.
G. S. Grewal and R. A. Gupta for the Respondent.

D The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

SABYASACHI MUKHl.RJI, J. The appel\1nt and the respon-
dents contested the election to Punjab Legislative Assembly held
in May, 1980 from Muktsar Constituency. Polling was held on 31st
May, 1980 and the result was declared on !st June, 1980 in which
E the appellant secured 29,600 votes and respondent No. 3 secured
30,003 votes. The other candidates got only nominal votes. There
was thus a difference of 403 votes in favour of the respondent No. 3.
Respondent No. ~ was declared elected. The election of respon--
dent No. 3 was challenged by an election petition alleging that the
F respondent No. 3 had indulged in corrupt practice in the said elec- •
tion and as such his election was liable to be set aside and he was •\ •
liable to be disqualified for corrupt practice. Corrupt Practice
make the election liable to be set aside under section 101 (1) (b) of
the Respondent of the People Act, l951, hereinafter called the Act
•
which is as follows :-
G
"100. Grounds for declaring election to be void-
1. Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) if the High
Court is of opinion-
(a) ........... .
(b) that any corrupt practice has been committed by a re-
H
liARC!iAUN siNGa v. SAJJAN sr NG!i (Sabyasa,·hi Mukharjl, J.) 165

turned candidate or his election agent or by any person
with the consent of a returned candidate or his election
agent ; or"

What are deemed to be corrupt practices are indicated in sec-
tion 123 of the Act. Sub-section (3) of the said section is as
follows :- u
"The appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any
other person with the consent of a candidate of his election
agent to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the
ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language
of the use, or appeal to religious symbols or the use of, or 0
appeal to, national symobls, such as the national flag or the
national emblem, for the furtherance of the prospects of
the election of that candidate or for prejudically affecting
the election of any candidate :

Provided that no symbol allotted under this Act to a O
candidate shall be deemed to be a religious symbol or a na-
tional for the purpose of this clause".
It may be mentioned that before the amendment Act, 40 of
1961, effected on 12th September, 1964, sub-section (3) of section
123 of the Act was as follows :- E
"The systematic appeal by a candidate or his agent or
by any other person, to vote or refrain from voting on
grounds of caste, race, community or religion or the use of,
or appeal to, religious symbols or the use of, or appeal to,
•; . national symbols, such as the national flag or the national
emblem, for the furtherance of the prospects of that candi-
F

date's election".

As a result of this amendment, inter a/ia, the expression '·sys-
tematic" has been deleted and only "appeal" by a candidate or his
agent or by any other person with the consent of the candidate or
G
his election agent to vote or refain from voting for any person on
the ground of his relgion, race caste, community or language or co-
lour continues to be corrupt practice. The statement of objects and
reasons for introducing amendments in section 123, 125, 139 and 141
of .the Act in 1961 stated, inter alia, as follows:-

"For curbing communal and separatisttendencies in H
166 sUPRllME cotJl<.T l<.EPO\l.tS {1985) 2 s.c.t<..

the country it is proposed to widen the scope of the corrupt
practice mentioned in clause (3) of section 123 of the 1951
Act and to provide for a new corrupt practice (See sub-sec·
tion (3) and (3A) of section 123) and a new electoral offence
for the promotion of feelings of hatred and enmity on
grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language
B (See new section 125) ".
Therefore even a single appeal by a candidate or bis agent or
by any other person with the consent of the candidate or his election
agent to vote or refrain for voting from any person on the ground of
his religion, race, caste or community etc. wonld be corrupt
c practice.

The allegations against respondent No. 3 were that be, bis ' '
election agent and other per,on with his consent bad appealed to
the voters of the constituency in the name of religion, namely Sikh
religion for voting in his favour or to refrain from voting in favour
n. of the appellant. In brief it is alleged that Hukamnamas, the
nature, the content and the effect of which we will examine later,
were issued urging the voters to vote for respondent No. 3 and not
to vote for the appellant. It was further alleged that in the meet-
ings, inter alia, at (1) Muktsar, (2) Khokhar and (3) Harika Kalan
speeches were delivered by eminent public persons appealing to the
E voters that as respondent No. 3 was the candidate of the Akal
Takht and bis nomination was supported by the H ukamnama of
Akal Takht, the people should vote for him and not to vote for him
would be a against the tenets of the Sikh religion and would be
blasphemous act against the Sikh religion. In publications like
Akali Times the same view was propounded and it was indicated
F that Indira Congress was always against Sikh people and Sikh . ''
\
religion and as such to vote for Congress (I) would be to vote
against Sikh religion, were pointed out at the meetings. It was
emphasised before us that a Hukamnama for a Sikh is of great con·
sequence and disobedience to Hukamnama entails great misfortune. •
It is necessary, however, to examine in detail the actual evidence
G
adduced in support of these allegations. The learned Judge of the
High Court of Punjab and Haryana on an analysis of the nature of
the Hukamnama as well as examination of the evidence adduced
before him came. to the conclusion that neither was it established
that respondent No. 3 had appealed in the name of religion in terms
H of section 123 of the Act nor was the learned Judge convinced
HAllCltARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharjf,'J.) 161
about the veracity or the correctness of the evidence adduced on
behalf of the appellant as to what happened in the three meetings. A
The learned Judge accordingly came to the conclusion that the
appellant had failed to prove the corrupt practice alleged against
respondent No. 3. The learned Judge emphasised that allegations
, of corrupt practices in an election petition are in the nature of
quasi-criminal charges and must be proved beyond reasonable doubt
B
as such. The learned judge was of the opinion that the appellant
had not succeeded in proving the said charges beyond reasonable
doubt. He accordingly dismissed the said election petition.

Being aggrieved by the said decision and judgment of the
learned Judge, this appeal has been preferred by the appellant
> r under section l l6A of the said Act .
•
Before we examine the actual contentions and the evidence, it
may be appropriate to bear in mind the principles enunciated in
two decisions of this Court on the principle underlying section
123(3) of the Act. D

Ambika Sharan Singh v. Mahan/ Mahadev and Giri and Others('
was an appeal against the order of the High Court of Patna declar-
ing the appellant's election from Barbara Assembly Constituency,
Bihar, void under section 100(1) of the Act. At the time of the
E
general election in February, 1967, the appellant was the Minister
of State in the Finance Department of the State of Bihar. There
were in all eight candidates contesting from Barbara Constituency.
The poll day was 15th February, 1967. Having obtained 21,791
• votes against 20,243 votes obtained by respondent No. l, the appel-
• • lant was declared elected. F

In the election petition filed by respondent No. 1 thereafter,
he made a number of allegations of diverse corrupt practices giving
particulars thereof in more than ten schedules. The appellant
denied all these allegations and filed a recriminatory petition unc er
section 97 of the Act. The High Court after examining the evi- G
dence held the appellant guilty of three corrupt practices, namely
of distributing money to Harijan voters in various villages as bribery
of having canvassed on the basis of his caste, namely, Rajput, and
of having procured the assistance of four gazetted officers named

(I) [1969) 3 s.c.c. 492. ffil
168 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1985] 2 S.C.R.

therein. We are coDcerned with the second corrupt practice alleged
i.e. having canvassed on the basis of his caste. Before this Court,
the question involved was whether the High Court was correct in
holding the appellant guilty of three corrupt practices. The High
Court after considering the evidence held inter a/ia that there was
sufficient evi9ence to show that the campaign on the basis of caste
B was carried on at numerous places and at some places by appellant
himself and at some places by others in his presence and at others
by several workers of the appellant including his election agent.
The High Court felt that the conclusion was inevitable that all this
was done with the appellant's consent, direct or implicit. This
Court held that the High Court was right in its conclusion and the
c appellant was proved to have committed corrupt practice falling
under section 123(3) of the Act. Dealing with the allegations of
appeal in the name of religion, this Court observed at page 497 of
the report in paragraph 12 and 13 thus :-

D "Para 12-Indian leadership has condemned electoral
campaigns on the lines of caste and community as being
destructive of the country's integration and the concept
of secular democracy which is the basis of our Constitution.
It is this condemnation which is reflected in Section
123(3) of the Act. lnspite of the repeated condemnation,
E
experience bas shown that where there is such a consti-
tuency it has been unfortunately too tempting for a candi-
date to resist appealing to sectional elements to cast their
votes on caste basis. The contention of counsel, however,
was that there was on the other hand the danger of a
F frustrated candidate mustering a number of his followers •
to testify falsely in a vague manner that his opponent hed • •
)
campaigned on the basis of his caste or community. fhere-
fore, before such an allegation is accepted, the Court must
be on guard against such a possibility and must demand
adequate particulars. A witness deposing to snch an
•
G alleg•tion must point out when, where and to whom such
an appeal was made. That, said counsel, was not done
and therefore the evidence of witnesses however numerous
should not have been accepted.

Para 13-But where the allegation is that such canvas-
H sing was widespread and at several places it would be
l!A~CilAJl.AN SINGI! v. SAlJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 169

impracticable to call upon the election petitioner to give
the name• of persons alleged to have been approached with A
such an appeal and the actual words spoken to each of
them. If such an appeal is made' for instance, at a meet-

. ).
'
ing it would be difficult for a witness to name those to
whom such an appeal is made, It is for this reason that
courts in England have made a distinction between bribery
B
to voters and treating them. In the latter class of cases,
names of persons treated by the candidate have not been
demanded though the election petitioner would be ordered
to specify the character and extent of the alleged corrup-
tion. This is so even though the English Law of elections
emphasises the individual aspect of the exercise of undue c
influence, whereas what is material under our law is the
commission of an act which constitutes corrupt practice.
(See Halsbury's Laws of England, 3rd ed., Volume 14,
p. 278). A command by a religious head to his followers
that it was their primary duty to support a particular candi-
date was held sufficient to vitiate the election and it was 0
not considered necessary to have the names of the persons
to whom the command was addressed."

In that case before this Court there were other contentions
impeaching the evidence and indicating the improbabilities of the
case against the appellant. This Court after elaborate discussion
came to the conclusion that the allegation of appealing in the name
of religion namely appealing on the basis of caste was proved in the
facts and circumstauses of that case. It was argued that Barbara
constituency was a composite constituency and therefore if the
• appellant and his agent were to campaign on caste basis, those F
• • belonging to other castes would be alienated against him and as
• sucb an appeal instead of advancing his cause would prove detri-
mental to it. This Court found this submission to be untenable
because it is not impossible that the candidate inclined to campaign
on the caste basis would concentrate on his votes and at the same
time leave his party propaganda machine to campaign amongst the G
rest of the population. It would not, therefore, be correct to say
that such a campaign would be improbable and therefore evidence
that such canvassing was conducted should have been rejected.

In the instant case before us, similar contentions were urged
namel} Muktsar was a mixed constituency namely there were Hindu H
110 SUPREME COURT REPOllTS (I 985] 2 S.C.R.

A votes and Sikh votes, according to one calculation practically divided
equally. It was submitted that appeal in the name of Sikh religion
by the appellant in such a situation was unlikely. As mentioned
in the aforesaid decision of this Court, ifthere is conclusive evidence
to that effect, then such a theory would not outweigh the facts
proved. It was, then, submitted that Akali Party was in alliance
B with C.P.I. (M) and it was most irr.probable that when one of the
allied parties was a Marxist Party, the candidate of Akali Dal
would appeal in the name of religion. This for the reasons indicat-
ed before is also not an acceptable view. These are only probabili-
ties of a situation but if there is direct evidence of propaganda or
campaign by candidate in the election in the name of religion, the
c probabilities of such a campaign not being made in view of other
surrounding circumstances, cannot outweigh the direct evidence if
the Court is otherwise inclined to accept such direct evidence.

Jn Ziyauddin Burhanuddin Bukhari v. Brijmohan Ramdas
D Mehra and Ors.,(1) the appellant, a candidate of Muslim League
defeated respondent No. 3, Shauket Chagla, the Congress candidae
in the Maharashtra State Assembly Election. Respondent No. 1, a
voter filed an election petition, inter alia, alleging ,that the appellant
had appealed to the voters to refrain from voting for respondent
No. 2 on the ground of religion and that the appellant had promoted
feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of citizens of
India on ground of religion.

The various appeals to the voters on the ground of religion
made by the appellant had been set out in different sub-paragraphs.
F It is not necessary to set out in detail the actual allegations made
•
•
•
in that case as these were relevant for the purpose of that case only.
It may however be pointed out that it was stated about Chagla
that "at the moment we are in such a war in which our opponent
is such a person who is playing with our religious affairs, he considers
•
us to be a community whose conscience is dead". It was further
G alleged that Chagla's wife Nalini was a Hindu and his son Ashok
Chagla used to attend the mosque as well as the temple and he
should be excluded from Muslim localities. It was further alleged
that he was neither a good Hindu nor a true Muslim so neither God
nor Bhagwan was pleased with him.

H (!) [19751 suppl. s.c.R. 2s1.
HARCEtAMN SINGEt v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 111

It was observed by this Court that our Constitution-makers
A
intended to set up a Secular Democratic Republic. Our political
history made it particularly necessary that the basis of religion,
race, caste, community, culture, creed and language which could
generate powerful emotions depriving people of their powers of
• ; rational action should not be permitted to be exploited lest the
j imperative conditions for preservation of democratic freedoms B
were disturbed. Section 123(2) and (3) and (3A) was enacted to
eliminate from the electoral process appeals to those divisive
factors which arouse irrational passions that run counter to the
basic tenets of our Constitution. Due respect for the religious
beliefs and practices, race, creed, culture and language of other
r c
. '
citizens is one of the basic postulates of our democratic system.
'The line has to be drawn by the court between what is permissible
and what is prohibited after taking into account the facts and
circumstances of each case interpreted in the context in which the
statements or acts complained of might have been made. The court
has to examine the effect of the statements made by the candidate D
upon the minds and feelings of the ordinary average voters of this
country.

This Court in that decision reiterated at page 297 of the
report as follows:-
E
"The Secular State, ri~ing above all differences of
religion, attempts to secure the good of all its citizens
irrespective of their religious beliefs and practices. It is
neutral or impartial in extending its benefits to citizens
of all castes and creeds. Maitland had pointed out that
• such a state has to ensure, through its laws, that the
F
existence or exercise of a political or civil right or the
right or capacity to occupy any office or position under it
or to perform any public duty connected with it does not
depend upon the profession or practise of any particular
religion. Therefore, candidates at an election to legislature
which is a part of "the State", cannot be allowed to G
tell electors that their rivals are unfit to act as their
representatives on grounds of their religions professions or
...._ __ 'f practices. To permit such propaganda would be not merely
to permit undignified personal attacks on candidates
concerned but also to allow assaults on what sustains the
basic structure of our Democratic State." H
112 sUPRBME COURT REPORTS [i 985] ZS.C.R.

Keeping in background these principles, it would be necessary
A
to refer to tbe allegations, the evidence and the conclusions of the
High Court on this point in order to decide this appeal. It was
alleged that Hukamnama was issued by Shri Akal Takht on its
official letter-head bearing its religious symbol and seal on !st
8 March, 1980, according to which the working Committee of the Akali
Dal was dissolved and a 7-member Ad-hoc Committee was appoin-
ted under the Chairmanship of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal which
was conferred with the full powers of Akali Dal. Shri Akal Takht is
sitnated within the precincts of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).
c Guru Granth Sahib installed in Harmandir Sahib is brought every
day late in the evening to Shri Akal Takht for sukh Asan. Another
Hukamnama, dated 6th October, 1979 was issued. Said Hukamnama
which is Exh. P and appears at pages 17 and 18 of Part II of the
Paper Book stated that in view of the resignations tendered to the
Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht, on 27th September, 1979, certain
D decisions were taken. It further stated in one of the items that in
view of the coming Parliamentary elections and the unity of the panth
and its high priests, after scrutinising the list of the delegates, they
would in their supervision conduct the el~tion of the President
of Shiromani Akali Dal. It was publicised to the entire Sikh
community that Shiromani Akali Dal should be considered as
£ Supreme in the Panth. It further stated that the legislators elected
on the Panth ticket were being instructed to run the Punjab
Government unitedly under the leadership of Sardar Parkash Singh
Badal, the Chief Minister and maintain the prestige of the Panth.
It was further stated that all the members of the Shiromani
F Committee will have to work unitadly under the leadership of
Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra, for the betterment of manage·
ment of gurdwaras and to speed up the preachings of Sikhism.
The said document fmther stated that a seven member committee
• ••
was being constituted for distribution of tickets and adjustments
with other parties in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The names
G of seven members were given which included Sant Harchand Singh •
Ji Longowal, S. Jagdcv Singh Ji Talwandi, S. Parkash Singh
Ji Badal and others. Sant Harchand Sini:h Ji Longowal was appoin-
ted as Chairman of the Committee. It further stipulated that the
Sikh, who defied the proprity of Akal Takht and offers 'Ardas'
, would be punished. He should present himself at Sri Akal
Takht and get himself absolved and further directed that persons
opposing the above decision, made for maintaining the unity of the
ti Panth, would be dealt with severely. It is further alleged that on
HARCHARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 173

16th November, 1979, Hukamnama was issued by Akal Takht on its
A
official Jetter-head with religious symbol and seal wherein punishment
was imphsed by Akal Takht on Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi and
Jathedar Umra Nangal. These appear as Exh. P2 at pages 19 and
• 1 20 of Part II of the Paper Book.
J
On 29th February, 1980, a letter was written which is Exh. B
p.3 and appears at page 21 of Part II of the Paper Book. This
letter contains the proposal of some leaders of Aka\i Party about
the formation of seven Member Ad-hoc Committee and disbandinii
of the Working Committee of the Akali Dal. On 1st March, 1980
Hukamnama which is Exh. P-4 at page 22 of Part II of the Paper
Book was alleged to have been issued by Akal Tal:ht on its official c
letter-head b~aring its religious symbol and seal. This Hukamnama
gives approval to the aforesaid proposal and made an official
announcement that the seven Member Ad-hoc Committee would
from that date take upon all the respon~ibilities of the Shiromani
Akali Dal.

Respondent No. 3 states in his evidonce that he was not
originally a candidate of Akali Dal but his candidature was taken
-1-
up at a subsequent stage and he was given a ticket by the seven-
member comittee to contest the election. This is corroborated by
Exh. P-29/ A because 2nd May, 1980 was the last date for submitting
nomination, and on 3rd May, 1980, respondent No. 3 was given E
ticket by !hi seven-Member Ad-hoc Committee for Muktsar
Constituency. See pages 90·92 of Part III of the Paper Book being
the statement of Dayal Singh. Shri Dayal Singh gave evidence on
• behalf of the appellant and he claims to be the Secretary of Aka\i
• Dal of which the President was Jagdev Singh Talwandi. According
to him Harchand Singh's name was included in the list Exh. P.W. F
29/ A and not Exh. P-4/1.
•
On 5th May, 1980 the last date for withdrawal of candidature
expired. On 14th May, 1980, election meeting was addressed in
village Thandwala by S. Parkash Singh Badal, a member of the
G
seven Member Ad-hoc Committee appointed by the Akal Takht and
by respondent No. 3, the elected candidate. There were articles
in Akali Times by Surjit Singh, Chief Editor on 16th May, 1980.
These articles were to the effect that it was a religious commitment
for every Sikh to cast his vote for Akali Dal or to the candidate
supported
. by. the Akali Dal. Qne of. the
' ' .. statements
. . in. the
. article
. .
174 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985] 2 S.C.R.
\_ ... j
A was !hat Indira Congress was an anti-Sikh organisation. On 18th
May, 1980, it was further stated in the said Akali Times that a Sikh
cannot be supporter of that organisation and to have commitment
with the Congress was a sin against Sikh Community's interest.

In view of the nature of the points urged in this appeal, it
B would be appropriate to refer to some portions of the writings in
Akali Times which were alleged to have been highlighted at several
election meetings by respondent No. 3. One of the articles is
Annexure P-5 which appears at page 23 of Part II of the Paper
Book. It is beaded thus "A Supporter of Indira Congress (I)
cannot be a Sikh". It is stated inter alia: "It becomes a religious
0 commitment for every Sikh to treat his vote a property of the Akali
Dal and should stick to it by all means. To be a Sikh, is to adhere
to the Guru. To follow the Sikhism is not a small thing; it is gift
bestowed by the the Almighty Vaheguru. Those, who are admitted
into the Sikhfold, they protect this faith even at the cost of their
lives". "There are certain leaders in the Indira Congress, who look
D Sikh by appearance. And they, for their selfish and political
motives, claim to be Sikhs. There is no dearth of such persons who
declare themselves to be supporters of Punjab Panjabi language
and its culture, and also they pretend to be protectors of the Sikh
interests. Actually they are wolves in sheep's clothing".
E
There were several other articles to that effect which have all
been exhibited. It is manifest that propaganda on religious lines
was carried on. It is not necessary to set out in detail all the contents
of the various articles. As an example one article may be mentioned
which was headed as "A Sikh cannot be a Supporter of Indira
F Congress". The article inter a/ia contained the following-

"According to the press reports, the police is harassing
Sant Bhinderwala, with the pretext of enquiry. This is being
done because the Nirankaries are pressing to harass the
Sikh leaders. On the ~other hand, the threatening letters
G received in the office of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee, and about which all the Indian Newspapers
have published reports and which is being condemned by
all Sikhs, no leader of the Indira Congress has even spoken
about that. On the one !)and the highest agency of police,
the C. B. I. is conducting enquiry, about the murder of
~aba Gurbacljan Singh and if the Nirnkaries are not ~ati~-
.
_ .. _/
HARCHARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 175

fied with that, then a special committee is instituted, but on
the other hand,the Governor of Punjab Mr. Hatbi on the A
instance of Central Govt. is not going to appeal in the High
Court against the murders of thirteen Sikhs. This is such
a political policy which means opposition of the sikhs and
discrimination against the sikhism. I am told many times
by my friends that the attitude of the former Prime Minister B
Mr. Morarji Desai was also anti-sikh. This is true and the
Akali Times has many times wrote about it. But the oppo-
sition of Morarji Desai confirms my argument because
M orarji Desai also belongs to the same congress stock to
which Indira Gandhi belongs. In case of rule in India there
can be many differences between Indira Gandhi and c
' . Morarji Desai but their anti·sikh attitude is common. Mr.
Indira Gandhi never tried to prove that she has no enmity
with the sikhs.

- With these state of affairs, the sikhs, living in Punjab
and out of it, should think it seriously that their political
and religious life can then only be saved if the akali dal
rules in Punjab. In the coming elections, the support of
D

Indira Congress by any sikh will be a stab in the back of

- sikh intrests".

It is alleged that on 24th May, 1980, respondent No. 3, the
elected candidate, adddressed election meetings in villages Khokhar
E

and Harika. Respondent No. 3 mentioned to the gathering that he
was a candidate of Akal Takht. On 25th May, 1980, it was further
alleged that election meeting was held at Muktsar. This meetini:
, was admittedly addressed by Shri Parkash Singh Badal and respon- F
• dent No. 3. There certain statements were made with which we
shall deal later.

31st May, 1980 was the date of polling. The result was de-
" clared on 1st June, 1980. The petitioner/appellant filed the election
petition on 16th July, 1980, and on 14th October, 1980. the petition G
was dismissed.

In support of the contentions in this appeal, it was alleged by
"-t counsel that the concept of secular democracy is the basis of the
Indian Constitution. The paramount and basic purpose underlying
$ection 123 (3) of the Act is the concept of sectilar democracy. Sec- tt
,...
\ __ _

176 SUPREME COURr REPORTS [1985] 2 S.C.R.

A tion 123 (3) was enacted so as to eliminate from the electoral process
appeals to divisive factors such as religion, caste, etc. which give
vent to irrational passions. It is essential that powerful emotions
generated by religion should not be permitted to be exhibited during
election and that decision and choice of the people are not coloured
in any way. Condemnation of electoral campaigns on lines of
B religion, caste, etc. is necessarily implicit in the language of section
123 (3) of the Act. Consequently, the section must be so construed
as to suppress the mischief and advance the remedy. Legislative
history of this section is important from this point of view. The
statement of Objects and Reasons of the Amending Act, 1961 clear-
ly mentions the object of tbe amendment. It was "for curbing
c communal and separatist tendencies in the country. It is proposed
to widen the scope of the corrupt practice mentioned in clause (3)
of section 123 of 1951 Act and to provide for a new corrupt prac-
tice". In order to determine whether certain activities come within
the mischief of section 123 (3), regard must be had to the substance
of the matter rather than to the mere form or phraseology. The
D
inhibition of section 123 (3) should not be permitted to be circum-
vented indirectly or by circuitous or subtle devices. The court
should attach importance to the effect and impact of the acts com-
plained of and always keep in mind the paramount purpose of sec-
tion 123 (3) namely to prevent religious influence from entering the
E electoral field. The nature and consequence of an act may not
appear on its very face but the same can be implied having regard to
the language, the context, the status and position of the person
issuing the statement, the appearance and know religion of the
candidate, the class of persons to whom the statement or act is di-
rected, etc.
F
We have to examine the facts of this case in the background
of these principles. It was contended on behalf of the appellant
that section 123 (3) of the Act had been violated for three different
reasons :
G (a) Sponsorship of the respondent No. 3 and distribution of
election ticket to him for the Assembly elections by the Akal Takht,
which is "the supreme religious authority of the Sikhs".

(See in this connection statement of P. W. 25-Giani Pratap
ft Singh at pa~e 69 of Part III of the Paper Book)
HARCHARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 177

Appeal to religion, says counsel for the appellant, is implicit
A
in the very act of sponsoring of respondent No. 3 as a candidate at
the election by Akal Takht on account of the unique religious posi·
tion it occupies and the tremendous religious authority and influence.
it wields amongst the sikhs .

. b) Issue of Hukamnama (exhibit P. 4) by the Jathedar of the B
Akal Takht in the matter of Assembly election~ having regard to the
circumstances in which it was issued, indicates that the approval of
the Akal Takht was obtained in order to give this decision a colour
of religious authority.
f (See in this connection the evidence of Giani Pratap Singh, c
' ' P. W. 25 at page 70 of Part III of the Paper Book).
• (c) It is further urged that appealing to the voters at election
meetings held in Muktsar, Khokhar and Harika Kalan by referring
to the Hukamnama, to the writings in the Akali Times and exhorting
them to vote for respondent No. 3 by appiying to the religious sen- D
timents and warning them of the consequences of not doing so con-
stitute appeal to religion.

As these contention were not accepted by the learned Trial
Judge, it would be necessary to analyse the evidence and the reasons
of the learned Trial Judge for not accepting these in order to deter- E
mine the contentions urged in this appeal.

Whether it was a Hukamnama or not and whether in this case
Hukamnama in the proper sense was issued by Shri Akal Takht
• directing casting of the votes in favour of respondent No. 3 and if
• so, what were the consequences of such Hukamnama, are questions F
that have been canvassed before us. Sub-section (3) of section 123
prohibits "appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any other person
• with the consent of a candidate or his election agent to vote or
refrain from voting for any person on the ground of his religion,
race, caste, community or language". The other part of sub-section
G
(3) of section 123 which defines corrupt practices is not relevant for
the present purpose.

It will be necessary in this case to examine in detail the concept
of Shri Akal Takht amongst the Sikhs. In this case we have the
evidence of the learned professors and certain well-known text-books
dealin~ with this questio11. ff
178 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985) 2 S.C.R

A On behalf of respondent No. 3, it was urged that in order to
constitute a Hukamnama proper, there were certain conditions
precedent which were required to be fulfilled namely there should be
a meeting of Sarbat Khalsa i.e. a meeting of all the Sikhs and
secondly a unanimous decision·must be arrived at and than it should
be followed by the approval of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak
E Committee and the decision should be announced from Shri Akal
Takht. If only these conditions were fulfilled, submits counsel for
respondent No. 3 then a Hukamnama proper with all the consequen-
ces of disobedience of Hukamnama by a Sikh can be said to
follow.
c, It was urged on behalf of the respondent No. 3 that it was not
l
open to the appellant to raise this contention because in the election
petition, it was stated that Hukamnama was issued. Respondent
No. 3 had not stated in his written statement that these conditions
were required to be fulfilled before a proper Hukamnama could be
D issued. It was urged that respondent No. 3 was himself a Sikh and
was a member of the Akali Dal and must have known the prerequi-
sites, yet he did not raise these conditions. On the other hand on
behalf of the respondent No. 3 it was submitted that in paragraph 9
of the written statement filed by respondent No. 3, this point has
been raised and it was said that no Hukamnama has been issued in
E favour of respondent No. 3.

The author, Harjinder Singh DiJgeer in his book "Glory of the
Akal Takbt" quotes at page 97 historian C.H. Loehlin in his book
"The Sikh and their Scriptures" at p. 1 thus :-

F "'J:he Akal Takht is 'a preaching centre' and also the
seat of political and religious conferences ........ · ...... Jn fact
today the Akal Takht is the symbol of political activity of
.
' 'r •
the Sikhs. All great Sikh movements have been led from
the seat of the Sikhs". •

G At page 99 in Appendix II, the author described "Sarbat" as
meaning wbole. Sarbat Khalsa means collectivity of the Sikh
people. It is a theo-politica\ doctrine, by means of which the Sikhs
assume the. powers and the status of the centralised conscience and
will of the people. Sarbat Khalsa was first used for the gathering
of all Sikhs on the days of Diwali and Baisakhi at Shri Akal Takht,
R Amritsar. After 1721, the Sarbat Rhalsa (lathered twice in a year
HARCHARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi M~kharji, J.) 179

before Shri Akal Takht. Sarbat Khalsa used to discuss the ques-
A
tions of Panthic interest at such gatherings and, gurmatas out of the
consensus of such meetings were passed. The author of that book
records that Sarbat Khalsa has made many important decisions
which have changed the history of the Punjab. These include
acceptance ofjagir (1733), to build a fort at Amritsar (1747), to
form Dal Khalsa (1748) to attack Lahore (1760) etc. The usage of B
the term Sarbat Khalsa began in the middle of the eighteenth century.
Previously, according to the author, every individual could partici-
pate in the meetings of Sarbat Khalsa. Later on the right got ves-
ted in the leaders of the Mists. According to the author, the last
meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa was held in 1805. It discussed the

. i
'
dispute of Lord Lake and Holkar. After this Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
according to this author, stopped political meetings and started
taking decisions on the advice of his ministers only. The author
c

states that even in the twentieth century, the major Sikh organisa-
tions (the Akali Dal and the S. G. P. C.) have opted not to revive
this institution and they decide major Sikh questions in the All Sikh
Parties' meetings. D

-~j
Hukamnama according tb the same author in Appendix IV at
page 102 is a word used for the Royal letters issued by the Mughal
emperors, but it has a wider meaning for the Sikhs. Whereas the
Mughal orders were carried out under compulsion, the Sikh E
Hukamnama was acted upon as a matter of pride. Not only the
performance of the Guru's order but even the darshan (a look at\ of
the Guru's Hukamnama was considered as an honour. In that
Appendix IV of the said book the author gives several instances of
.. Hukamnamas used.
F
According to the author, historians believe that the step of
constructing the Akal Takht near Hari Mandir was due to Guru's
• idea of keeping temporal and spiritual centres near each other so
that both should influence each other. The author also refers that
after the construction of Akal Takht, Guru Hargobind issued G
Hukamnama (see also in this connection. The Sikh Religion Vol.
IV, p.3 by M.A. Macauliffe).

Kushwant Singh in his boo!< "A History of The Sikhs Volume
I : 1469-1839 at page 63 discussed the Akal Takht of Hargobind as
~~; «
180 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985] 2 S.C.R

A "Across the Harimandir, he built the Akal Takht (the
throne of the Timeless God), where, instead of chanting
hymns of peace, the congregation heard ballads extolling
feats of heroism, and, instead of listening to religious
discourses, discussed plans of military conquests."

B He further mentions that Guru's abode in fact became like
that of an Emperor. He sat on a throne and held court. He went
out with a royal umbrella over his head and was always accompan-
ied by armed retainers. It has been been described that by this
time, the Akal Takht had become a spiritual place, a military centre
c a political office, a court, a place for gatherings, a durbar and a 1
throne issuing Hukamnamas (the royal letters). 'I '

It has been stated in the said book at page 32 that Sikhs used
to assemble before the Takht twice a year and the congregation was
called the Sar bat khalsa (the whole kha\sa) and the decisions of the
D Sarbat khalsa were called Gurmatas.

It was contended before the learned judge on behalf of the
appellant thai the documents Exh. P-1, Exh. P-2 and Exh. P-4
were issued by Akal Takht and were therefore Hukamnamas. It -~-
was contended that these documents showed that the candidates
E were to be nominated by the seven members of the Committee
appointed by Akal Takht and they were the candidates of Akal
Takht. It was urged that Akal Takht was the highest religious
authority and it was bounded duty of all Sikhs to vote for the candi-
dates nominated by Akal Takht. According to him Sikh voters
F could not deny the dictate of Akal Takht. On the other hand learned •
counsel for respondent No. 3 urged that such Hukamnama was not
Hukamnama of Akal Takht but the letters written by the Jathedar of
Akal Takht.

The learned Judge came to the conclusion that it was not
G necessary to go into the question as to whether Exhibits P-1 and
P-2 were Hukamnamas or not as these were issued long before the
Assembly elections and the portions of the petition relating to these
were ordered to be deleted. Whether Exhibit P-4 was a
Hukamnama or not, there was some dispute and the learned Judge
referred to the oral evidence of Dr. Fauja Singh, Professor of
History, Punjabi University, Patiala, who was examined in the
H Election Petition No. 32of1980 (S. S1fnam Singh Bajwa v. Sujagar
HARCHARAN SINGH v. SAJiAN siNGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) lSi
Singh Sakhwan and another decided on 24th March, 1981). He had
A
deposed that Akal Takht was founded by Guru Hargobind Sal1ib,
the Sixth Guru in 1606 A.D. On that occasion he put two swords
one called the sword of 'Miri' and the other called the sword of
'Piri'. 'Miri' and 'Piri' are Persian words and connote the temporal
authority and spiritual authority respectively. The significance of
putting these two swords was to indicate the close relationship B
between religion and its practice. Since Guru Arjan Dev, the Fifth
Guru, was subjected to torture by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir a
strong reaction against that act of tyranny was witnessed amongst
the Sikhs. It was with that background that the Sixth Guru decided
to militarize the community along side of continuing to impart
religious teachings. Ever since the foundation of Shri Akal Takht 0
it has held a unique position in Sikh religion and Sikh history.
i y
During the eighteenth century, meetings of 'Sarbat khalsa' were
~
invariably held at Shri Akal Takht twice a year-on Baisakhi and
Diwali days. At these gatherings, unanimous resolutions used to
be passed which were known as 'Gurmatas'. All this has been set
D
out hereinbefore and it is not necessary to examine in any further
details. It is undisputed that Shri Akal Takht enjoys a unique
position amongst the Sikhs. Thero is, however, difference of
opinion between Dr. Fauja Singh and Giani Partap singh regarding
its powers as noted by the learned Trial Judge. Dr. Fauja Singh
had stated that it was a symbol of both political and religious powers E
whereas Giani Partap Singh had stated that it was supreme religious
aurhority. Dr. Fauja Singh had been the Professor and the Head
of the Department of Sikh History in the P11njabi University from
1967-78 and since 1978 he is the Director, Punab Historical studies.
He is a scholor of great repute and well versed in Sikh history. He
has beed teaching the subject since long. The learned Judge felt that F'
his statement should be preferred and came to the conclusion that
Akal Takht was a symbol of political and religious powers. It was
found, according to the learned Judge on the evidence, that Exhibit
P-4 was not taken in the form of 'Gurumata.' On the other hand, it
• was decision taken by the leaders of Akali Party at Fatehgarh Sahib
written by Jathedar Sadhu Singh on the letter-head of Shri Akal
G
Takht who announced it.

The learned judge came to the conclusion that there was no
""°"'f decision regarding the selection of candidates. The learned judge
was of the view that if the statement of Dr. Fauja Singh was read,
it cannot be held that the same was a Hukamnama of Shri Akal H
182
- .
SUPP.EME COuRTtP.EPORTS [1985] 2 s.c.k.

A Takht. The learned Judge referred to the view taken by P.C. Jain,
J. in election Petition No. 32 of 1980.

In our opinion it is not a technical question whether exhibit
P-4 was a Hukamnama or not. It is a question in the present
controversy which has to be judged from a broader perspective. As
B noted before in these matters the Court has to examine the effect of
the statements made by the candidate on his behalf upon the minds
and the feelings of the ordinary average voters of this country·-See
Ziyauddin Burhanuddin Bukhari v. Brijmolwn Ramdas Mehra & Ors.
(supra). It is undisputed that Shri Akal Takht enjoys a unique posi-
tion amongst the Sikhsc It is indubitable that any communication
c from Shri Akal Takht which is represented by eminent members of
the Sikh community as Hukamnama would have great religious per- 'I •
suasive value even though strictly speaking it might or might not be'a
Hukamnama. For the purpose of this appeal, it is not necessary for *
us to decide whether in strict textual sense and strict mies of the Sikh
community P-4was a Hukamnama or not. It was alleged that Sardar
D
Parkash Singh Badal represented it to be so and it was so repre-
sented by the candidate himself and having regard to the background,
it cannot be said that it did nofhave the effect of a Hukamnama on
the community at large of inducing them to beleive that ignoring the
claim of the candidate nominated by Shri Akal Taht 8nd represented
E to be supported by Hukamnama would be an act of sacrilege on the
part of a good Sikh.

These questions should be very broadly decided. It would
not be an appeal to religion if a candidate is put up by saying 'vote
for him' because he is a good Sikh or he is a good Christian or he
is a good Muslim, but it would an appeal to religion if it is publici-
sed that not to vote for him would be against Sikh religion or
against Christian religion or against Hindu religion or to vote for
the other candidate would be an act against a particular religion. It
is the total effect of such an appeal that has to be borne in mind in
deciding whether there was an appeal to religion as such or not. In •
G each case, therefore, the substance of the matter has to be judged.

In the case of Shubnath Deogram v. Ram Narain Prasad and
Others,(1) this Court reiterated that in substance it would be an
appeal on the ground of religion if the act in question has the

11 (I) [1960] I S.C.R. p. 953.
llARC!IARAN SING!l v. SAJ1AN sfNG!I (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 183
effect of giving the impression that it would be irreligious not to
A
vote for a particular party or person. Mr. Justice Subba Rao,
however, dissented from majority view on an examination of the
facts of that case.

This question, however, has to be kept in view within proper
limits and religious leaders have right freely to express their opinion
B
on the comparative merits of the contesting candidates and to
canvass for such of them as he considered worthy of the confidence
of the electorates. (See in this connection the observations of this
Court in the case of Ram Dial v. Sant Lal and Others.(') In Ku/tar Singh
v. Mukhtiar Singh,(') this Court observed that in considering as to
1 whether a particular appeal made by a candidate falls within the c
mischief of section 123 (3) of the Act, the courts should not be
' astute to read the words used in the appeal anything more than
what can be attributed to them on its fair and reasonable
construction.

In the light of these discussions for the purpose of this appeal, D
it is not necessary to accept the submissions on behalf of the appol-
lant that mere sponsorship of the respondent No. 3 and distribution
of election ticket to him for the Assembly election in the manner
.J- proved would amount to an appeal to religion as such without
considering the other facts and circumstances and how it was put
to the people or to the electorate. For this purpose it would be B
necessary to refer to the evidence of meetings at three places.

Regarding the meeting at Thandawal, counsel for the appellant
did not press it before us. The first meeting which we have to con-
sider is the meeting at Muktsar. P. W. 12, Hardam Singh gave
F
evidence abont Muktsar. His village falls in Muktsar constituency
and he stated that 5 or 6 days before the date of the poll, a meeting
was organised by the rnpporters of respondent No. 3 at Muktsar
at about 5 P.M. He attended the meeting. According to him this
meeting was addressed by Shri Parkash Singh Badal, ex-Chief
Minister, Punjab, Sant Harchand Singh Longowal and respondent G
No. 3 himself. It was stated that Shri Badal made a speech at
about 6.30 P.M. He exhorted the audience to vote for respondent
No. 3 because he was a Gur Sikh. He said that he had been put

(I) [1959] Supp. 2 S.C.R. p. 748.
(2) [1964] 7 S.C.R. p. 790. H
SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985] 2 s.c.il.

A up as a candidate under the orders of the Akal Takht and it was
the religious duty of the Sikhs to vote for him. He also showed
one paper to the audience which according to him was a Hukam-
nama issued by the Akal Takht. He further stated that there was
good work done by respondent No.3 and he would continue to do
so if he was elected. It is deposed by P.W. 12 that Sant Harchand
B Singh Longowal also made a similar speech. Thereafter, respondent
No. 3 spoke and said that he was a candidate of Akal Takht and it '
was the duty of the Sikhs to vote for him. He was cross-examined
but nothing very substantial came out of it. He reiterated in his
cross-examination that Shri Badal told the audience that they should
vote for respondent No. 3 because he had been set up a candidate
C of Akal Takht. Shri Longowal and respondent No. 3 also spoke.
He denied the suggestion that he was not present at that meeting. ) .
i
P.W. 13 also gave evidence about the meeting at Muktsar.
He corroborated that Shri Parkash Singh Badal, Harchand Singh
D Longowal and respondent No. 3 addressed the meeting. His
evidence was more in corroboration with what has been stated. He
however did not hear the speech of the respondent No. 3 as he had
left the meeting before that. He stated in his cross-examination
that four or five persons belonging to his village had accompanied
him to the meeting. There was however nothing in substance with
E what bas been stated.

As against this on behalf of the appellant, three persons gave
evidence namely R.W. I, R.W. 2 and R.W. 8 R.W. I stated that
there was a meeting in Muktsar about a week before the polling at
about 8.00 P.M. which lasted upto 11.00 P.M. Meeting, according
F
to him, was addressed by Shri Prakash Singh Badal and Shri Har-
charan Singh Fatanwalia. According to this witness whose name
was Kashmiri Lal, Sant Longowal was neither present nor addressed
the meeting. According to him, Shri Parkash Singh Badal only
dwelt upon the achievements of his government and the fact that
no Inspector was allowed to hara<s the voters particularly the city
G
voters. Other speakers who addressed the meeting represented
Janata Party, Communist Party and Bhartiya Janata Party. Accord-
ing to him, in the meeting majority of the audience were Hindus,
as Muktsar town comprised of a!most 70% of Hindu population.
In cross-examination he stated that he was a member of Muktsar
u Municipal committee and he was a member of the C.P.I. and C.P.I.
••
ilARcHARAN siNGH v. SAJiAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukharji, J.) 195

had entered into alli!illce with Akali Party. The other facts stated
A
by him are not relevant on this point.

Krishan Kumar son of Shri Jagan Nath who was also a
Municipal Commissioner, Muktsar was R.W. 2 and he spoke in
favour of respondent No. 3. According to him, Shri Fatanwalia
and Shri Badal sroke but they spoke about the achievements of
their party and no appeal was made in the name of Akal Takht or
B
in the name of religion.. According to him, Hindus outnumbered
Sikhs by three times. He also admitted that he was a member of
the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

R.W. 8, the respondent No. 3 himself was the next person c
who gave evidence in support of himself. He said that Shri Parkash
I T
Singh Badal visited Muktsar on 25th of May, 1980 and addressed a
.I. public meeting there. That public meeting was addressed by
Chaman Lal Joghi, Raj Kumar Girdhar, Roshan Lal Joshi, Paras
Ram Bagga, Jagroop Singh and by him. The abovesaid Hindu
gentlemen belonged to the Janata Party whereas J agroop Singh D
belonged to the Communist Party. The audience, according to
him, consisted of 75 per cent of the Hindns and 25 per cent of the
Sikhs. Shri Badal had merely said that he had been the Chief
Minister of the State for a long time and if he was elected, he would
serve the people well. He admitted that be himself was relative of
Sbri Parkasb Singh Badal-his daughter was married to the younger E
brother of Shri Badal.

The learned Judge has rejected the evidence on ground of
improbability and on the ground that the evidence was not satis-
factory because the witnesses had not stated that version to the F
appellant nor were these allegations mentioned in the petition. The
learned judge was further of the opinion that in a constituency or
place where Hindu population outnumbered the Sikh population,
it was unlikely that appeal in the name of Sikh religion would be
made. As against this, the following facts will have to be borne in
mind: G

Shri Prakash Singh Badal had not chosen to come and deny
the allegations. Indisputably he was present at the meeting. He
would have been the best person to deny the allegations made about
that meeting. It is not a question of merely proving a fact by
adverse presumption. In case where there is positive evidence to ff
186 SUPREME COURT REl>ORts [1985] 2 s.c.R.

prove a fact and there is no denial by the person who is most com-
A
petent to deny that fact and no reason was given for his not giving
evidence especially in the background of his eminence and his posi-
tion, his relationship with respondent No. 3 and especially in view
of the respondent No. 3 had in fact been nominated by the same
group on behalf of the Sikh comn,nnity with which Shri Prakash
B Singh Badal was so intimately connected would lead to the conclu-
sion that the evidence advanced on behalf of the appellant !]lust be
accepted. If that is accepted then the followihg facts emerge :

(!) it was represented to the electorate that respondent No. 3
was a nominee of Akal Takht by no less a person than the former
c Chief Minister of the State in the presence of the candidate himself: t
)' I
(2) the candidate himself made the said statement. .t

It follows therefore ihat an appeal to vote for respondent No.
3 in the name of Akal Takht with all the consequences of Hukam-
D nama of Akal Takht was highlighted before the electorate.
The next meeting which is material is the meeting at Kbokhar.
Here also P. W. 17 Makhan Singh gave evidence. His village falls
in Muktsar constituency. He said that the supporters 0f respondent
No. 3 had convened a meeting at Khokhar at about 12 noon about
E 6 or 7 days prior to the date of poll. The meeting was held in the
village Gurdwara. Respondent No. 3 accompanied by Shri Baldev
Singh Sibia and 4/5 othi!r persons had come to attend the meeting.
Respondent No. 3 addressed the meeting first. At the outset he
tendered an apology to the audience and said that he had promised
to bring Shri Prakash Singh Badal to address this meeting but he
F could not come as he was busy with the election work in other con-
stituencies. Respondent No. 3 showed a paper and described it as
a Hukamnama issued by the Akal Takht. He stated that he had
been given a ticket because he was a Gur Sikh and it was the "reli-
gious duty of the Sikhs to vote for him", and he also showed some
back issues of Akali Times and said that most of the things were
G
written in these papers but he wanted to give a gist of the same.
He stated that any Sikh who cast his vote in favour of Indira Con-
gress did not deserve to be called a Sikh. He also said that right to
vote was a sacred trust in favour of the panth and whoever exercised
this right against the order issued by the Panth, would be regarded as
a traitor to the panth. He mentioned the· Gurus. In cross-exami-
H nation he stated that he owned thirty acres of land and his village
llARCllARAN SINGH v. SAJJAN SINGH (Sabyasachi Mukha~ii, J.) 181

was at a distance of two miles from village Khokhar. According to
A
him 10 or 12 Hindus were also present in the meeting. He said that
he did not know if it was an offence to ask people to vote on the
ground of religion.

The next witness was P. W. 18, Malkiat Singh. His village
B
also fell in Muktsar constituency and he spoke that in the Gurdwara
of village Khokhar, meeting was held at about 12 noon. He also
corroborated that respondent No. 3 and Shri Baldev Singh Sibia
addressed :this meeting. There was corroboration of the evidence of
this witness. In cross-examination there was not much damge done
;
to his testimony. c
The next witness was P. W. 19, Guranditta Singh. He spoke
; 0 -f a meeting about 5/6 days prior to the date of poll and the meeting
was held at about noon time in the village Gurdwara n village
Khokhar. Respondent No. 3 and Shri Baldev Singh Sibia addressed the
meeting. He more or less reiter•ted what was stated by the other
witnesses. In cross-examination he stated that about JO to 15 Hindus D
were present. He further stated that 2 or 3 days after the meeting,
the appellant had visited his village and solicited his vote but he had
replied that he bad made a tour of 2/3 villages along with panthak
candidate and for that reason he was not in a position to promise to
cast his vote for him. E
The witness for respondent No. 3 was one R. W. 6. She was
Smt. Gurmit Kaur wife of Malkiat Singh. She denied that any
meeting w~s held in their village and that she was always in the
village throughout the election.
p
Learned Judge found it difficult to rely on his evidence. We
• do not see any intrinsic improbability in accepting his testimony
especially in the absence of good rebuttal evidence.

The next village is village Harika Kalan about which P. W. 19
Guranditta Singh gave evidence. To prove meeting at Harika Kalan G
statement of three witnesses Guranditta Singh, P. W. 19, Sant Singh
s/o Arjan Singh, P. W. 20 and Gurdev Singh s/o Bhajan Singh, P. W.
21 were relied. The latter two witne~ses belonged.to village Harika
Kalan. The first one making the statement regarding the meeting
at Harika Kalan as well as meeting at village Khokhar. P. W. 20
deposed that an election meeting was held by the supporters of res- ll
188 SUPREME COURT REPORfS [1985) 2 S.C.R ,
A
pondent No. 3 in village Harika Kalan about 5/6 days before the
date of polls at village _Gurdwara. Similar statement was made by
Makhan Singh, P. W. 17 regarding the meeting at Khokhar. In
cross-examination, he admitted that he did not meet the petitioner
till the date of his e·•idence and no one approached him to find out
B as to whether he attended the meeting or not. The respondent No.3
called one Balla Singh, Sarpanch resident of Harika Kalan, P. W. 5 ,
and Smt. Gurmit Kaur resident of Khokhar P. W. 6. Both the
witnesses were interested in him.
Learned Judge did not find it possible to accept their
testimony.
c
In a matter of this nature, the evidence naturally is mostly
oral. Therefore specially where the charge is a grave one ; namely
corrupt practice which if proved would disentitle the candidate to
contest the election for some time to come, the Courts must proceed
with caution. An election ·once held ought not to be treated in a
0 light-hearted manner and defeated candidate should not get away
with it by filing election petition. See in this connection the obser-
vations of Krishan Iyer, J. in Rahim Khan v. Khurshid Ahmed & Ors.( 1)
See also the decision in the case of Ch. Razik Ram v. Ch. J. S.
Chauhan & Ors.(')
E Reference was also made to the opinion of this Court in
Kanhaiyalal v. Manna/al & Ors('). and M. Narayana Rao v.
G. Venkata Reddy & Or>(•).
Taking into account the totality of the evidence in the back-
ground of the fact that some communications from Akal Takht
F call it Hukamnama or any other name were issued and the issues
of editorials of Akali Times, which were mentioned by Shri Parkash
Singh Badal as stated by the witness on behalf of the appellant and
which is not denied by Shri Parkash Singh Badal, we are of the
opinion that in this case appeal in the name of religion was made
on behalf of respondent No. 3. Though some facts stated in the
G oral evidence about tbe meetings had not been stated in the peti-
tion but when evidence were tendered and were not shaken in
cross-examination and the versions have a ring of truth in the back

(I) [197511 S.C.R. 643.
(2)A. l R. 1975 S. C. 567.
H (3) [1976] 3 S. C. R. 808.
(4) [1977] 1 S. C.R. 490.
HA.RCHARAN SINGH v. &AJJA.N SINGH (Sabyasac/11 Mukharji, J.) 189

ground of other facts, we are of the opinion that the case of appeal
to religion by the respondent No. 3 has been proved in this case. A
This conclusion becomes irresistible in view of absence of any ex·
press denial by Shri Parkash Singh Badal and in the absence of any
explanation for not calling him as a witness on this point. Several
decision of this Court have laid down various tests to determine the
standard of proof required to establish corrupt practice. While B
insisting on standard of strict proof, the Court should not extend or
stretch this doctrine to such an extreme extent as to make it well·
nigh impossible to prove an allegation of corrupt practice. Such an
approach would defeat and frustrate the very laudable and sacro-
ianct object of the Act in maintaining purity of the electoral process
' ' (See the observations in the case of Ram Sharan Yadav v. Thakur c
f '
Muneshwllr Nath ~ingh and Ors. (Civil Appeal No. 892 (NCE) of
1980).
In the premises the respondent No. 3 was guilty of corrupt
practice as mentioned in sub-section (3) of section 123 of the Act.
In the result his election is set aside and the seat is declared vacant.
The findings of this Court about the corrupt practice of respondent D
No. 3 be forwarded to the President of India for appropriate action
under section SA of the Aet.
A point was made about the petition being not properly veri-
lied inasmuch as the source of information had not been mentioned.
On behalf of the appellant, counsel drew our attention to section
83 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This point was E
examined by a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court in the
case of Padmabati Dasi v. Rasik Lal Dhar.(1) I am of the opinion
that a proper reading of that decision would indicate that for a pro·
per verification of an affidavit or a petition based on certain infor·
mation, the iource should be indicated but I do not wish to examine F
this question any further because no objection at the initial stage was
taken and specially in view of this Court's decision in Ziyau4din
B1rhanuddin Bukhari v. Brijmohan Ramdas Mehra and. Ors. (supra)
' and in Hard1vari Lal v. Kanwal Singh('). On an appropriate occa·
sion, this question may require a fuller consideration.
The decision of the learned Trial Judge is set aside and the
appeal is allowed. Respondent No. 3 will pay the costs of this G
appeal.
A.P.J. Appeal allowed.
(I) I.L.R. XXXVII Calcutta, 259 at 260.
(2) (1972] 2 S.C.R. 14i.
q