Apologise for defacing DU campus during DUSU polls, Delhi HC tells candidates

The Delhi high court on Monday directed 16 candidates who had contested Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) Elections to file an affidavit apologizing for defacing property and giving an undertaking that they would beautify the varsity campus, saying that the candidates do not have the right to mutilate public property.

A bench of chief justice Manmohan and justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the candidates to file an affidavit, after they expressed remorse for their actions and submitted, that they would remove the defacement from the entire DU campus and other places in the capital.

The court said that it would pass an order regarding counting of polls pursuant to the candidates cleaning the defacement and fixed November 11 as the next date of hearing.

“These are young impressionable minds.. We don’t want to punish them but we want them to clear the mess.. We want the university to be restored, get this repainted. All this that you have don’t.. The spray paints in the metro, all this needs to be cleaned up…. Everyone will get their own college cleaned up, whoever we have summoned today.. How much time do you want to clean up? Please don’t bring cars that are unnumbered. What is this wheeling?”

“Give us a one-page affidavit- they have relayed their mistake; they will not repeat it and clean the campus. File it in a day or two and then we will pass an order. Give us a fresh affidavit. It’s none of your business to deface or mutilate or deface the walls of DU or anyone’s house. Who has given you this right? Would you like if your house gets spray painted? You must have a feeling for them no. We want this generation to not take a wrong turn but to improve. You have realized your mistake. Let them give us an affidavit and within a week or 10 days’ time. After the same is cleaned, we’ll allow counting of votes.”

The court was responding to a plea filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda seeking action against the prospective candidates who were involved in defacement. On September 26, the court had allowed DU to proceed with the polls, which were scheduled for September 27, but had halted counting the votes, till it is satisfied about removal of defacement and restoration of public property. Though the bench acceded to the varsity’s request of going ahead with the polls, it asked the varsity to pay for the expenses incurred by the civic agency including MCD, DMRC for cleaning the defaced properties and later recover it from the candidates.

On October 9, the court asked the candidates who had contested DUSU polls to clean the defacement, indicating that it would permit counting of votes the next day, if the public property is restored.

On October 21, the court had issued notice to 16 candidates including Bhaanu Pratap Singh, Lokesh Chaudhary, Ronak Khatri, Yash Nandal, Mr. Rishabh Chaudhary, Rahul Singh Dedha, Aman Kapasia, Deepika Jha and asked them to appear before the court to explain their conduct. It had further directed them to remove the balance posters/banners/hoardings/graffiti and repaint the defaced walls in collaboration with the varsity, saying that the campuses were yet from the student’s union “election excesses” and looked shabby.