Election poster construed as a whole; political appeal through "Panth" did not amount to religious corrupt practice.

An election poster must be read as a whole and construed fairly, objectively, and in its electoral context when assessing whether it appeals to voters on religious grounds under Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The repeated use of the word "Panth" was held not necessarily to denote the Sikh religion in this setting; it could refer to the Akali Dal party and its political programme, including support for Punjabi Suba. Because the appeal was directed to political support for the party and its cause, and not to votes based on religion, the poster did not amount to a corrupt practice and the election was not liable to be voided on that ground.

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Issues: Whether the publication and distribution of the election poster amounted to a corrupt practice under Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by appealing to voters on the ground of religion.

Analysis: The poster had to be read as a whole and construed fairly, objectively, and in its electoral context. The repeated use of the word "Panth" did not, in the setting of the pamphlet, necessarily denote the Sikh religion; it could and did refer to the Akali Dal party and its political programme, including support for Punjabi Suba. The same word could not be assigned different meanings in different parts of the same document unless the context compelled it. The material showed that the appeal was directed to political support for the party and its cause, not to votes based on religious appeal.

Conclusion: The poster did not amount to a corrupt practice under Section 123(3), and the appellant's election was not liable to be voided on that ground.

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