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DUSU polls: HC stays counting of votes until defacement of properties cleaned

Taking strong objection to the defacement of public and private properties by DUSU election candidates, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela had on Wednesday inquired from DU how it plans to deal with the same.

DUSU polls, delhi university, Delhi University Students Union, DUSU, delhi high court, delhi news, India news, Indian express, current affairsWalls defaced with posters for DUSU polls. File

Following Delhi University’s suggestion, the Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed the counting of votes for Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls, which was scheduled for Friday, until the court is satisfied that defacement of public and private properties, purportedly done by candidates by using materials such as posters, hoarding and graffiti, are cleaned and the properties restored.

Taking strong objection to the defacement of public and private properties by DUSU election candidates, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela had on Wednesday inquired from DU how it plans to deal with the same.

DU counsel Mohinder Rupal on Thursday proposed that while the elections, also scheduled for Friday, can be permitted, the counting of votes can be kept in abeyance until the defacement is remedied. Rupal admitted that “it’s a difficult task for us, how to handle this”.

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He also informed the court that on Wednesday, the DU authorities had called a meeting, which was attended by 16 of the 21 candidates.

ACJ Manmohan, addressing DU, remarked orally, “It seems you don’t have an internal mechanism at all. I think officials will have to be made accountable for this. Your V-C (vice-chancellor) should have put in place a robust system, he has done nothing of the sort. There are such flagrant violations on a very very large scale. You can’t turn a blind eye to any of this no?”

Advocate Prashant Manchanda, who had moved an application earlier pointing out the largescale defacement of public and private properties, submitted before the HC that the candidates have also been taking out cavalcade of cars across the city, causing traffic jam.

“Residents have been sending representations since one week to the election officer. Unnumbered cars are being used. Those that have registration numbers have been covered by pamphlets,” submitted Manchanda while showing the bench photographs and videos of the same.

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ACJ Manmohan, after perusing the material, remarked, “This is not supposed to be student politics. It is vitiated by the highest level of corruption. Look at the way cars have been used.”

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), meanwhile, informed the court that it has already spent Rs 4.53 lakh to clean the defacement. The MCD also suggested to the court that DU pays the civic body the cost being incurred to clean the vandalised properties and DU in turn can recover the cost from the candidates responsible for the same.

Meanwhile, in another petition filed by five DU students seeking that a system be put in place to ensure such defacement does not take place, the counsel suggested that the university officials and the vice-chancellor, too, should be held accountable, take suo motu cognizance and initiate action on such incidents.

 

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