No pre-requisite to deposit money to contest DUSU polls, Delhi HC told

Delhi University on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that there was no pre-requisite to deposit money to contest its student union elections.

DU made the submission before Justice Mini Pushkarna, who was hearing a plea alleging a new notification by the university mandates Rs 1 lakh security bond as a pre-condition for contesting the DU student union (DUSU) polls.

The DU counsel said the university would instead receive an affidavit along with a security bond, and no money had to be deposited.

The court noted the submission and disposed of the petition.

The notification mandated poll candidates to execute a bond for potential defacement or violations by themselves or supporters, the petition claimed.

It had claimed the cause was “ultra vires” to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.

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The petition was filed by Anjali and Abhishek Kumar, who claimed to be the DU students and aspire to contest the Delhi University Students’ Union elections.

The petitioners claimed the “preventive financial imposition” created an “arbitrary classification based on wealth, excluding ordinary students while favouring the affluent, in violation of Articles 14 (equality and non-arbitrariness), 19(1)(a) (free speech in democratic participation), and 21 (right to life with dignity and equal opportunity) of the Constitution”.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has welcomed Delhi University’s decision to scrap the mandatory provision of depositing a Rs 1 lakh election bond for contesting the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, calling it a result of their continuous struggle and student-centric efforts. The organisation said the move was a significant win for the democratic rights of students.

ABVP had opposed the bond requirement since it was introduced, terming it “unethical and undemocratic.” To press its demand, the student body staged protests across the campus, submitted a memorandum to the Registrar, and even met the Vice-Chancellor on Friday, urging immediate withdrawal of the rule. Following these efforts, the University rolled back the bond provision on Saturday.

The organisation argued that enforcing a financial condition would have undermined the democratic tradition of Delhi University by restricting participation to only those who could afford it.

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Commenting on the development, ABVP Delhi State Secretary Sarthak Sharma said, “This victory is not just ABVP’s, but of every student of Delhi University. We have always believed that elections are a festival of democracy, and imposing financial barriers infringes upon students’ rights. ABVP raised the voice of students with full force, and today this struggle has succeeded. We will continue to fight with the same commitment on every issue concerning students’ welfare.”

(Inputs from PTI)