Page 20 - EW October 2024

Education News

DELHI property and to recover the costs in-
Nuisance hustings curred from candidates responsible

for defacement of public property.
Meanwhile despite feverish poster
campaigns, social media relays, ral-
lies and dispensing freebies (choco-
lates, cosmetics, movie tickets and
alcohol), only 35 percent of 100,000
eligible DU and affiliated college
students cast their ballots for the 21
candidates contesting the posts of
president, vice-president, joint secre-
tary and secretary.
The main contestants for the four
posts were backed by Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the stu-
dent wing of the BJP, and National
Students’ Union of India (NSUI) of
the Congress. Last year, ABVP won
three seats, NSUI one.
Although all major candidates
DUSU campaigners: self-serving electoral issues were backed by national parties, the
issues in the DUSU elections were
counting of votes of the delhi 200,000 posters/pamphlets and trivial and self-serving, related to tu-
University Students’ Union 28,500 banners from the campuses ition fees concessions notwithstand-
C (DUSU) elections which of DU and its affiliated colleges. ing the reality that DU and affiliated
concluded on September 27, has The petitioner contended that the colleges fees (Rs.4,000-60,000 per
been postponed by the Delhi high Lyngdoh Committee Report (2006) year) are arguably the lowest world-
court. Responding to a petition filed was violated by DU students despite wide.
by advocate Prashant Manchanda its endorsement by the Supreme For ABVP candidates, the main
seeking directions to the govern- Court. The committee was consti- poll issues were ‘one course, one fee
ment to take action against students tuted 18 years ago by the Union structure’ for all postgrad courses,
who defaced public property during ministry of human resource devel- centralised allocation of residential
the hustings, the court permitted opment (renamed Union education accommodation and scholarships
the university to continue with the ministry), following a Supreme for SC/ST, OBC and EWS categories.
election but barred it from counting Court order to eliminate the influ- NSUI campaigned for greater fund-
the votes until it satisfies the court ence of money and muscle power in ing for campus infrastructure, exams
that all posters, hoardings, graffiti, student union elections. It inter alia transparency, and greater represen-
and other campaign-related material prohibited students with criminal tation of students in college admin-
are removed and public property is records or misconduct from contest- istration. Evidently, there is minimal
cleaned up. The next hearing is on ing elections and limited expenditure awareness in higher education
October 21. to Rs.5,000 per contestant. The institutions that heavy subsidisation
While hearing the petition, the guidelines also banned the use of of collegiate and university education
bench comprising Chief Justice printed posters, pamphlets or any comes at the cost of public primary-
Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao other printed material for canvass- secondary schooling.
Gedela reprimanded the university ing, permitting only hand-made Academics in Delhi ascribe the
for failing to take disciplinary action campaign material. low turnout in DUSU elections to
against students campaigning in In addition, the high court order the growing disconnect between the
the DUSU election and for “lacking directed the university to pay MCD student body and the union, and
moral authority and courage”. In Rs.4.55 lakh for removing illegal trivialisation of election issues. “Un-
an affidavit filed with the petition, hoardings, posters, and banners. It like JNU, with a composite campus
the Municipal Corporation of Delhi also directed DU to bear the ex- for all 8,500 students including
(MCD) declared that it removed four penses incurred by other authorities, about 6,000 residing on campus, DU
truckloads of material that included including government departments, colleges are widely dispersed across
16,000 billboards, 7,000 hoardings, and Delhi Metro, for restoring public the metropolis. Moreover, JNU hosts

20 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2024