Delhi HC asks DU, candidates to respond to plea on victory procession after poll results

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from Delhi University on a plea alleging the violation of a judicial order banning victory processions after the declaration of DUSU poll results.

The results were declared on September 19 after the voting on September 18.

The application claimed that despite the court’s order, the candidates who won the recent Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections took out victory processions, and this amounted to contempt of court.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the varsity and the candidates to respond to the plea.

On September 18, while hearing a plea over alleged violations of Lyngdoh committee recommendations during the DUSU elections, the high court had directed that no victory procession should be taken out after the declaration of results by candidates, students, supporters or anyone else.

The court had also asked student organisations and candidates to explain why electoral damages should not be imposed for violating the recommendations, and warned that counting of votes and declaration of results would be stayed if authorities do not take satisfactory action for the “unruly conduct”.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the court noted that all the candidates who fought the elections, including those who won, have already been issued show cause notices as per the last order.

The bench asked petitioner advocate Prashant Manchanda to include all the material in the dossier which has to be prepared and file it before the court.

“This is not done. This is just not done,” the bench remarked, pointing towards the candidates and said that on this issue it was going to be very tough.

It, however, mentioned that this year there has been some achievement as there was no defacement of property during the DUSU polls but added, “much needs to be done”.

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The counsel for one of the candidates said that on winning elections, certain sentiments become uncontrollable and that this year, even dhols (Indian barrel drums) did not come.

To this, the chief justice said, “dhols were still acceptable and would have been fine. The difficulty is otherwise. The difficulty is the show of (muscle and money power). That is the concern.”

The application was filed by Manchanda in his pending petition concerning DUSU polls.