The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reiterated that it will permit the counting of votes for the recently held Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections only after candidates clean up the public properties left defaced in the run-up to the polls.
The High Court, which had on September 26 disallowed the counting of votes and declaration of results, said its purpose was only to send a message that such violations would not be tolerated.
“Why don’t you clean up the mess? The day the place is cleaned up, we will allow the counting of votes the very next day,” a Bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said hearing a plea filed by two candidates who contested the elections in two DU colleges.
“Every day in the city, some crisis or the other is happening. There is dengue and malaria. It’s all because we are littering the place. And this [election] is a festival of democracy, it is not supposed to be a festival of money laundering,” the court remarked.
It asked the two candidates to remove all posters and stickers on their college campuses.
‘Bear expenditure’
“What are you people doing? If you are a bona fide candidate, clean it up. You are leaders, people will follow you. We don’t want to withhold the results. You have spent so much money on this election, you can afford to get that place repainted,” the Bench said.
The counsel for the two candidates submitted that they would ensure the premises of Law Centre II and Ramjas College, where they are studying, are cleaned up. The court asked them to produce photographs of the restored areas on October 21, the next date of hearing.
Published – October 10, 2024 01:42 am IST