DUSU polls: HC seeks DU’s reply on plea against Rs 1 lakh surety bond with parents’ signature

Arguing that such requirements are “ex-facie arbitrary, disproportionate, and unconstitutional,” the students have highlighted in their petition that the mandate also contradicts the Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations and the DUSU Constitution.

The plea further emphasizes that the petitioners, who wish to contest the upcoming DUSU elections, come from modest socio-economic backgrounds, and argued that “on account of the aforesaid requirements, their rights are curtailed.”

The parent-attested surety bond and affidavit mandate was introduced by the varsity after it assured the Delhi High Court on August 29 that students contesting the DUSU polls would not be required to deposit money, and that the university would accept an affidavit along with a security bond.

The development had come against the backdrop of major students’ groups condemning the varsity’s directive which mandated candidates in the electoral fray to deposit a Rs 1 lakh bond, to be made eligible to contest.

Last year, during the DUSU polls, the Delhi High Court had rapped the university for failing to prevent defacement during the elections and further postponed the declaration of results by a month. In a November 2024 order, the court recorded that DU, via a notification dated October 30, 2024, had constituted a ‘DUSU Election Reforms Committee’.

Among the reforms listed in the committee’s report was a provision requiring students to execute a Rs 1 lakh bond at the time of filing nomination papers for any post in the College Union or DUSU, as a safeguard against defacement during the course of study or election.

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