Students at Delhi University (DU) expressed their satisfaction with the Delhi High Court's recent decision to allow the university to begin counting votes for its student union elections held in September. The university is now preparing to hold a meeting on Tuesday to finalize the date for announcing the results, which have been pending for over a month—a first in the university's history.
On Monday, the High Court authorized DU to begin the counting process by November 26, provided the university is satisfied with the cleaning efforts made by the students. An official from the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) election office confirmed that a meeting would take place on Tuesday to set the date for the much-awaited results.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, noted that while many colleges on both the north and south campuses had been cleaned by the candidates, some properties near the campuses still had posters and graffiti. The counsel for the candidates assured the court that any remaining material would be removed within a week.
"With the condition that the sites are cleaned and repainted within a week, DU is directed to proceed with the counting process by November 26," the court said.
The court's decision brought relief to the student bodies, who were eager to know the outcome of the election, which saw high participation levels.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), welcomed the decision, urging the DU administration to quickly announce the date for the result declaration and consider reforms for future elections.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment. ABVP is pleased with the court's decision to announce the results before November 26. We now call on DU to finalize the date for the results," said Ashutosh Singh, national media convenor of ABVP. “We also urge the university to take the views of all stakeholders and consider reforms to avoid similar delays in future DUSU elections," he added.
The National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, also welcomed the court's move, calling for transparency and accountability in the vote-counting process.
“NSUI respects the court's decision on the DUSU results. However, it is essential that DU announces the date for vote counting without any more delays," said Ravi Pandey, chairman of NSUI's media cell.