Delhi High Court allows DUSU elections; orders counting of votes be stopped until posters, graffiti are removed
Last Updated on September 27, 2024 by Srijan Raj
The court questioned the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Delhi Police, and the Delhi University (DU) on how steps have been taken to handle such defacement in line with a 2018 court order. The candidates had defaced bus station, metro station, and police station walls with spray paints, hoardings, banners, and posters. The University admitted to flagrant violations of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and court orders.
Advocate Manchanda submitted that the DUSU elections should be cancelled to send a message and not allow candidates spreading hooliganism in the city. In the last DUSU elections, it took one-and-a-half years and crores of rupees to remove spray paints and posters, especially in the South Campus of DU.
Justice Manmohan put the onus of cleaning and restoring the properties on the erring candidates, stating that they could pay for repainting and restoring the defacement with financial backing.
The Delhi High Court has allowed the conduct of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections, scheduled for tomorrow. However, the Bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ordered that the counting of votes be postponed until all posters and graffiti on campus are removed. The court was hearing an application by Advocate Prashant Manchanda, who submitted that public and private property is being defaced and littered by pasting posters, spray paints, and hoardings amid fierce campaigning for the elections.
