HC orders DUSU candidates to clean up campaign mess

Delhi High Court, on October 28,2024 directed candidates from the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections to submit an undertaking to not deface public property in future. The decision came as a part to hold the candidates accountable for the mess created during DUSU election and to grant additional time to clean up the varsity campus.

“Candidates are required to submit affidavits with photographs demonstrating the removal of posters, banners, graffiti, and any other defacement they contributed to,” the court directed, adding that they must pledge not to harm public property going forward.

The bench has asked candidates to be role model saying, “You should be setting a positive example for other students, not creating chaos on campus.”

The court had also summoned 16 students, all DUSU candidates in the 2024-25 elections held on September 27, to participate in the hearing. All however one attended on Monday.

Moreover, the court marked “You do not have the right to deface university walls or private property. Imagine how you would feel if someone spray-painted slogans on your home.”

On Saturday, October 27, DU told, the banners, posters and other articles have been removed.

“More than 90 per cent of the colleges or departments have made their campus free from any kind of defacement,” the DU said in a statement.

It further stated, DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh has inspected the colleges himself and took stick of the cleanliness across the university. The DUSU Chief Election Officer, Professor Satyapal Singh had deployed teams to examine the public property in and around the campus.

Post the rule, the university constituted a committee lead by VS to check the defacement.

The CEO told that various DUSU candidates, along with their teams, have cleaned the walls. They have also submitted photographs of cleaned properties to the election office. He further added that two candidates have also submitted videos of the cleaning.