Hindustan Times ·
Education
'Unacceptable at any cost': Delhi HC raps student unions on violence, vandalism amid DUSU poll campaign
The court directed the University of Delhi and the Delhi Police to file reports detailing the action taken in connection with the alleged incidents.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday warned that it could withhold vote counting and defer the declaration of results in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections if it was not satisfied with reports on alleged violence and vandalism during campaigning, while directing Delhi University and the police to submit reports by Friday.
The court clarified that it was not staying the polls scheduled for that day.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that allowing student elections to turn violent was unacceptable under any circumstances.
It directed Delhi Police and the university to detail the action taken in connection with the incidents, saying democracy cannot be allowed to turn into a criminal society.
The court observed that although Delhi University and the Delhi Police had repeatedly assured it that all necessary steps would be taken to prevent such incidents, the material placed on record through an application filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda presented a different picture. The material, the bench said, indicated an apparent failure on the part of the authorities and students to ensure the smooth conduct of the DUSU elections.
“No excuses will be accepted by the court. Though we are not staying or postponing the elections, if we are not satisfied with the status reports, we can pass harsher orders, including stopping the counting and postponing the result. It is very, very sad. If you are unable to control the situation, we know how to get it done. This cannot be permitted. Do not take the issue lightly. This kind of recklessness, this kind of criminal behaviour, criminal conduct... We cannot permit this. It’s a clear failure of law enforcement agencies and administrative agencies. We are more than conscious that we are a democratic society, but we are also conscious that this democracy can’t be converted into a criminal society. What have the law enforcement agencies and administrative agencies been doing?” the court said.
