In a strong reprimand to candidates of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) and college elections, the Delhi High Court on Monday asked them to clean the defaced public properties not only inside the varsity campus but in the whole city.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Manmohan asked the students leader, who appeared before it pursuant to its previous order, to file an undertaking on affidavit that they have cleared all posters, banners, hoardings, graffiti and repainted the defaced walls.
The Bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, reiterated it would not vacate its interim order staying the counting of votes unless the campus structures are cleaned.
In an earlier hearing, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) demanded that Delhi University should pay Rs 1 crore on account of expenses incurred by it for cleaning the properties defaced during DUSU polls.
On the oral prayer made by the petitioner advocate Ashish Manchanda, candidates Bhaanu Pratap Singh, Ronak Khatri, Yash Panwar, Rishabh Chaudhary, Lokesh Chaudhary, Yash Nandal, Rahul Singh Dedha, Aman Kapasia, Deepika Jha, Aman Kapasia, Shivam Maurya, Himanshu Nagar, Aaryan Maan, Rishi Raj Singh, Rahul Jhansla and Priyanshu Chaudhary were impleaded as respondent parties to the matter.
Further, the Delhi High Court had asked Delhi University, Delhi Police and MCD to file fresh status reports before the next date of hearing.
In an order passed on September 25, the Delhi HC directed that the counting of votes will not take place till the court is satisfied that the posters, graffiti, hoarding, and spray paint are removed, the vandalised public properties are restored and the losses suffered due to defacement are made good by the erring candidates.
After perusal of the video and photographs placed on record, the Delhi High Court said that it was of the “prima facie view that there has been extensive use of money and muscle power in DUSU and college elections contrary to Lyngdoh Committee Guidelines”.
Further, it said: “This Court is of the opinion that elections, which are supposed to be a festival of democracy, have been converted into a festival of money laundering and defacement of public property. In some respects, it reflects the failure of the education system.”
Earlier, the Delhi HC had asked Delhi Police to cooperate with Delhi University, MCD and as well as the DMRC to ensure that “no further defacement of public property takes place and the defacement which has already taken place is removed”.
The applicant, advocate Manchanda, stated that due to DUSU polls, public properties across all quarters of the national capital have been defaced, in blatant violation of not only the applicable civil and penal provisions, but in direct contravention of the orders of the Delhi HC.
The application said that the aspiring candidates under the patronage of political parties have left no place unscathed, be it the buses, bus stops, Metro stations, public properties, private properties, etc and even police stations have been defaced by posters, banners, spray paints, and massive hoardings.
