Section 54 in The Maharashtra Specified Co-operative Societies Elections to Committees Rules, 1971
54. Scrutiny and opening of ballot boxes.
(1)The Returning Officer may have the ballot boxes used [at] [Inserted by G. N. of 25.2.1972.] more than one polling station opened and their contents counted simultaneously.(2)Before any ballot box is opened at a counting table, the Counting Agents present at that table shall be allowed to inspect the paper seal or such other seal as might have been affixed thereon and to satisfy themselves that it is intact.(3)The Returning Officer shall satisfy himself that none of the ballot boxes has in fact been tampered with.(4)If the Returning Officer is satisfied that any ballot box has in fact been tampered with, he shall not count the ballot papers contained in that box and shall follow the procedure laid down in Rule 51 in respect of that polling station.
