New Delhi: Delhi High Court Wednesday sought the stand of Delhi University on a plea alleging that the candidates who won the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections violated the court’s recent direction prohibiting victory processions.
The hearing came days after the high court on Sept 18 issued notices to all student organisations and the 140 candidates contesting the elections, asking them to show cause as to why they should not be saddled with exemplary electoral damages for alleged violations of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and earlier judicial orders. The court noted that all DUSU candidates had already been issued showcause notices in an earlier order, including those who won the elections and asked Manchanda to include all relevant material related to the alleged violations and place it before the court.
He said that, despite the court’s clear direction, some winning candidates took out victory processions. The court, however, said the issue was not merely about drums or celebrations but about the display of money and muscle power. A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing a fresh application moved by petitioner Prashant Manchanda. The court had also directed that no victory procession should be taken out by candidates, students, supporters or anyone else, either on Delhi’s roads, on university campuses and in hostels.