[Delhi University Defaced Polls] “Clean Up Mess If You Want Election Results Declared”: Delhi HC To DUSU Candidates

The Delhi High Court Today (Oct 9) asked the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) candidates to clean all campus structures defaced during the polls if they wanted vote count take place. The high court, which had on September 26 halted the counting of votes and declaration of results of DUSU and colleges elections, said its purpose was only to send a message that such violations would not be tolerated and not to thwart the election process.

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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, issued a stern directive to the candidates involved in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, urging them to clean up all defaced campus structures before the vote count could resume. The court had previously halted the counting of votes and declaration of results on September 26, following widespread defacement of university properties during the election campaign.

The High Court emphasized that the suspension of the vote count was not meant to obstruct the election process but to send a clear message that

“such violations would not be tolerated.”

A bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela addressed the candidates, saying,

“Why don’t you clean up the mess. The day the place is cleaned up, we will allow the counting of votes the very next day.”

This directive was issued during a hearing of an application filed by two candidates who had participated in the college elections at two separate DU institutions. They sought the court’s intervention in declaring the election results.

In response, the candidates assured the court that they would take responsibility for cleaning up their respective college premises. They committed to collaborating with the university to ensure the removal of defacement and repainting of damaged areas.

The application was submitted as part of an ongoing petition that calls for action against DUSU candidates and student organizations responsible for defacing public property during the campaign. The petition, led by advocate Prashant Manchanda, demanded that the erring candidates and their parties be held accountable for restoring the damaged properties.

Manchanda specifically requested that they be directed to-

“remove the defacement and refurbish the areas and make additional efforts to beautify the vandalized sections.”

The court granted all parties involved, including the candidates, the petitioner, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), additional time to submit their status reports. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on October 21.

On September 26, the court had halted the counting of DUSU and college election votes until all materials responsible for defacement, including posters, hoardings, and graffiti, were removed, and public property restored. The court made it clear that while the election process could continue,

“the counting of votes will not take place till the court is satisfied that defacement of property has been removed.”

Polling for the DUSU elections took place on September 27, with the vote counting originally scheduled for September 28.

However, the counting remains on hold until the court’s conditions regarding the cleanup are fully met.

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