DUSU polls: Delhi High Court says counting of votes on or before Nov 26

New Delhi: In a relief to candidates of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) and college elections, the Delhi High Court on Monday said that poll results may be declared on or before November 26 if the university administration is satisfied that defaced public properties have been entirely cleaned.

A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela took on record the status report filed by the varsity stating that defacement had been addressed in North as well as South campuses.

Further, it took note of the affidavits filed by student leaders in compliance with earlier orders regarding removal of posters, banners, hoardings, graffiti and restoration of defaced walls.

In the course of hearing, the petitioner, advocate Ashish Manchanda, pointed out that several vandalised public properties outside the campus were yet to be restored by the erring candidates.

Taking note of the submission, the Delhi High Court ordered the student leaders to clear the highlighted sites and said that the Delhi University may commence the process of counting of votes on or before November 26, if the varsity is satisfied that defaced walls have been cleaned.

In an earlier hearing, the Delhi HC strongly reprimanded DUSU and college elections candidates, and directed them to clean the defaced public properties not only inside the university campus but in the whole city.

It had summoned candidates Bhaanu Pratap Singh, Ronak Khatri, Yash Panwar, Rishabh Chaudhary, Lokesh Chaudhary, Yash Nandal, Rahul Singh Dedha, Aman Kapasia, Deepika Jha, Aman Kapasia, Shivam Maurya, Himanshu Nagar, Aaryan Maan, Rishi Raj Singh, Rahul Jhansla and Priyanshu Chaudhary and ordered them to be impleaded as respondent parties in the matter.

The Delhi HC, in an order passed on September 25, had directed that the counting of votes will not take place till it was satisfied that the posters, graffiti, hoarding, and spray paint are removed, the vandalised public properties are restored and the losses suffered due to defacement are made good by the erring candidates.

After perusal of the video and photographs placed on record, the Delhi High Court said that it was of the "prima facie view that there has been extensive use of money and muscle power in DUSU and college elections contrary to Lyngdoh Committee Guidelines".

Further, it said: "This Court is of the opinion that elections, which are supposed to be a festival of democracy, have been converted into a festival of money laundering and defacement of public property. In some respects, it reflects the failure of the education system."

The applicant, advocate Manchanda, stated that due to DUSU polls, public properties across all quarters of the national capital have been defaced, in blatant violation of not only the applicable civil and penal provisions, but in direct contravention of the orders of the Delhi HC.

The application said that the aspiring candidates under the patronage of political parties have left no place unscathed, be it the buses, bus stops, Metro stations, public properties, private properties, etc and even police stations have been defaced by posters, banners, spray paints, and massive hoardings.