DUSU polls not about money laundering: HC

New Delhi: Upset over the defacement of public property during the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday said the elections are a festival of democracy and not of laundering money.

A bench of Chief Justice Designate Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said crores of rupees were prima facie being spent by candidates and orally asked the university vice chancellor to step in and take strict action. People are “behaving like illiterates” in a place of learning, the court said and added that the election system is not there to corrupt the youth. Going through photographs of the defacement of public property, the bench said the situation during the DUSU polls was worse than general elections.

The bench said the university should defer the elections, scheduled for September 27, or disqualify candidates and start nomination afresh, or should allow polling but not declare the results till all the defacement is removed. The university counsel, on instructions of the chief election officer of the university who was present in the court, asked that the matter be taken up on Thursday as authorities plan to take a decision on it by then.

The court then listed the matter for further hearing on Thursday and directed Delhi Police to cooperate with Delhi University, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Metro to ensure that no further defacement of public property takes place and the defacement already done is removed. “People have so much money power in these elections. It is a festival of democracy and not a festival of laundering of money. This is laundering of money, which is going on.