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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Undemocratic', ‘exclusionary': Student outfits condemn move mandating DUSU poll candidates to deposit Rs 1 lakh bond
Major students' groups have condemned a move mandating candidates in fray for the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections to deposit a Rs 1 lakh bond, to be eligible to contest. From the Aam Aadmi Party's Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) — all student bodies have termed the move as 'undemocratic' and 'exclusionary'. This comes weeks before the DUSU elections, scheduled for next month. Calling it a 'Tughlaqi farman', ASAP leaders said it is aimed at keeping middle-class students out of the race. 'It is nothing but a conspiracy to directly block middle-class students from contesting elections,' said Kuldeep Bidhuri, ASAP's Delhi state president. He also said that if a student were to contest for all four posts, 'how will they arrange Rs 4 lakh for the bonds?' ASAP's Praveen Chaudhary called the decision 'a huge wall erected against aspiring candidates', and asked how an 'ordinary student' could afford the deposit for what, he said, is meant to be a 'platform for service'. ABVP national media convenor Harsh Attri said the group had met with the DU Registrar and submitted a memorandum against the decision and urging that no such decisions should be taken without consulting the students. The NSUI, too, issued a statement opposing the order. It said: 'In DUSU elections, @UnivofDelhi has put a condition of paying a bond of Rs 1 lakh. Will you not allow children from ordinary families to contest elections?' 'The bond for MP elections in the country is only Rs 25,000. The (Narendra) Modi government is so afraid of students and their leaders that it is hell-bent on ending student union elections.' 'NSUI supports clean and fair student elections as per the Lyngdoh Committee and court rulings — but this notification is nothing more than a political weapon to help the ruling BJP's student organisation ABVP and target opponents,' said its national president Varun Choudhary. Speaking to The Indian Express, Registrar Vikas Gupta said, 'This was part of the guidelines laid down by the (Delhi) High Court.' Last year, the high court had rapped the university for defacement during the students' elections and had postponed the declaration of results by a month. After summoning 15 DUSU poll candidates last year for allegedly defacing public and private property while campaigning, the high court had directed them to give an undertaking that 'they shall not deface or mutilate any public property' in the future. A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela recorded the appearances of the 15 candidates who were summoned on October 21, the last date of hearing. After referring to photos and videos from last year's campaign showing jammed roads, luxury cars, posters, graffiti, etc, Chief Justice Manmohan, in an oral remark to ABVP's former presidential candidate Rishabh Chaudhary, said: 'It seems you have a lot of funds at your disposal. You'll clean up.' 'We don't want to punish them as such but they must clear up the mess,' he added. The bench recorded in its order that the summoned candidates should remove the posters, hoardings or graffiti from the campus as well as other places in Delhi, at their own expense. In its order dated November 11, 2024, the high court had recorded that DU, vide notification dated October 30, 2024, had constituted a 'DUSU Election Reforms Committee', which submitted its report on November 8, that year. DU's counsel had informed the court that the report was accepted 'in principle' by the Vice-Chancellor. Among reforms listed in the report was a bond 'to be executed at the time of filing nomination paper to contest any post of office-bearer of College Union/DUSU for Rs. 1 lakh by the student for the act of any defacement during the course of study/election'.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
AAP student wing slams DUs Rs 1 lakh bond rule for poll candidates
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party's student wing Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) on Wednesday hit out at Delhi University's new rule mandating a Rs 1 lakh bond from each candidate contesting students' union elections, calling it a 'deliberate conspiracy" to keep middle-class students out of the race. There was no official response available from the varsity over the allegations. The bond requirement was notified on August 8 as part of DU's 'Guidelines/Measures for Anti-Defacement in and around University/College Campus and for DUSU Elections." The guidelines state: 'Each contesting candidate shall be required to execute a bond of Rs. 1,00,000 for the offence of defacement/violation… at the time of filing nomination for any post of DUSU." ASAP Delhi State President Kuldeep Bidhuri said the order amounted to a 'Tughlaqi farman (an arbit diktat)" that would make it impossible for many ordinary students to contest. 'If a student files nominations for all four posts, where will they arrange Rs 4 lakh?" he asked. The guidelines, aimed at preventing defacement of university property, also bar rallies, loudspeakers and road shows, restricting campaign publicity largely to 'walls of democracy" and online platforms. They allow the university to impose fines, suspension, or even rustication for violations. Zakir Husain College unit president Shailesh Yadav questioned whether the system was 'a tender process" where seats are 'auctioned" to those who can afford the bond. 'This is the students' university…DU administration must take decisions keeping students' interests in mind," he said. The university has defended the measures as necessary for maintaining campus decorum and protecting public property. The guidelines cite orders of the Delhi High Court, the National Green Tribunal, and other statutory provisions, saying non-adherence 'shall amount to gross indiscipline" and may attract punitive action. Besides the bond rule, the guidelines mandate anti-defacement affidavits from students at admission, limit campaign posters to designated 'walls of democracy," and prohibit canvassing through rallies, road shows, loudspeakers, or 'Shakti Pradarshan." Candidates must use electronic media for campaigning and may only have their names as per their secondary and senior secondary certificates. Outsiders are barred from campus during the elections unless authorised, and biometric or facial recognition systems may be installed for entry. DUSU office-bearers are allowed to book only three specific university venues for official programmes and are prohibited from booking university guest houses or maintained hostels. PTI MHS MHS AMJ AMJ (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 13, 2025, 18:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
