The Himachal Pradesh High Court ruled on Friday that election petitions are inherently trial-based, emphasizing the necessity of witness examination for fair adjudication. This ruling came as a response to an application from Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who sought to remove witnesses proposed by BJP's Harsh Mahajan in his election petition. Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha elections held on February 27, 2024, due to cross-voting by six Congress MLAs and support from three independents, resulting in a tie where both candidates received 34 votes each. The winner was determined by a draw of lots, which Singhvi contested as unfair. The court noted that denying Mahajan the opportunity to examine his witnesses would be unjust and scheduled the next hearing for April 20, 2024. Mahajan responded to the ruling by stating that the Congress was attempting to evade a thorough trial, while he remained confident in facing all evidence presented.