beyond reasonable doubt unless the chain of circumstances is so complete and so connected with the charge that it leaves no other reasonable hypothesis open for the Court to adopt except that the offender had committed the offence alleged. AIR 1975 SC 1417 Foll. (Para 414) The logical consequence of placing a charge of corrupt practice on the same footing as a criminal charge is obligation to interpret the words which define it strictly and narrowly. Indeed, any natural and ordinary interpretation on the words ‘‘obtaining or procuring or abetting or attempting must carry with it the imperative requirement that the candidate concerned or his agent must have intentionally done an act which has the effect contemplated by Section 123 (7). In other words a ‘‘means rea’’ or a guilty mind as well as an "actus reus" or a wrongful act must concur to produce the result contemplated by law. Ele. Petn. No. 5 of 1971. D/- 12-6-1975 (All), Reversed. (Case law discussed). Observations to the contrary in AIR 1959 SC 244. Dissented from (On the facts of the case it was held that there could not be any means rea on the part of the returned candidate). (Paras 429, 472) (J) Representation of the People Act (1951), S. 123 (7) – Corrupt practice – Obtaining or procuring assistance from Government servant – ‘‘Obtaining or procuring or abetting or attempting to obtain or procure’’ – What amounts to Ele. Petn. No. 5 of 1971, D/- 126-1975 (All) Reversed. Per Beg. J. : – ‘‘The obtaining or procuring or abetting or attempting to obtain or procure’’ had to take place either by a candidate or by his agent or by somebody ‘‘with the consent of the candidate or his election agent.’’ Until the candidate had appointed an election agent the action of any other person could not constitute him automatically an agent so that he may, by doing something voluntarily succeed in making the candidate vicariously liable for his own actions whether he has or was not a gazetted officer at the time when he committed the act complained or. (Para 404) It is the act of solicitation for the aid of the officials mentioned in Section 123 (7), whether successful or not, and not the mere fact that certain advantages flow quiete naturally and conventionally from the occupation of an office, without any solicitation, or the mere fact that some assistance is voluntarily given by some one to an election campaign, which penalised by the provision. (Para 408) One the language of Section 123 (7) a liability is not created by merely not rejecting voluntarily given aid. The candidate may not often be aware of the voluntarily given assistance so as to be able to reject it. A case of consent