Delhi High Court allows counting of votes of DUSU polls 1.5 months after polling

Advocate Prashant Manchanda filed an application, appearing as party-in-person. Subsequently, 15 DUSU candidates were added as parties to the application.

Disposing of the plea, the bench on Monday said, “The intent of the present proceedings was to ensure students (realise) that university property belongs to the public… students are allowed to use for a limited period and which they hold in trust for the next batch of students. It is the responsibility of the current students and candidates to ensure that the next batch gets to use the DU infrastructure in good and clean condition. Since candidates for DUSU elections are young, this court is of the view that they deserve a second chance. After all, the intent of the present proceeding is to reform and not punish. This court hopes that a clear message has gone to the student community at large and to the candidates who contested this year as well as those students who plan to contest in future.”

While DU on Monday submitted that “nearly all the colleges/departments/institutes/faculties” in its North and South campuses have been cleaned, Manchanda submitted a compilation of photographs of the defacement continuing across Delhi, including in police stations and other sites.

DU, in its status report, submitted that “the University undertakes to safeguard and put in place a robust mechanism to monitor future DUSU elections so that there is no defacement of public properties by any prospective candidates”.

The counsel for the students and contesting candidates undertook before the court that they shall get all the sites mentioned by Manchanda cleaned and repainted within a week.

The court directed DU to verify the said facts and file a report within 10 days with the registry of the court, along with reports from candidates on the compliance of the court’s directions.

In a status report filed by DU dated November 9, by professor Satyapal Singh, chief election officer of DUSU polls 2024-25, it was submitted that DU, by way of a notification on October 30, has constituted the “DUSU Elections Reforms Committee” which will be looking at strict compliance of Lyngdoh Committee recommendations in the forthcoming students’ union elections, reservation for women in DUSU composition, nominating Nodal Officer “to protect exterior wails of the University/Colleges and to prevent defacement throughout the year,” etc.