Delhi University (DU) has constituted an 18-member committee to address ongoing concerns related to the DU Students' Union (DUSU) elections and enforce compliance with established guidelines, as per a PTI report.
The committee, chaired by Prakash Singh, the Director of DU South Campus, will oversee the upcoming DUSU elections and ensure strict adherence to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, according to an official notification issued on October 30.
The committee's role will also extend to nominating a nodal officer responsible for preventing defacement across the university campus.
This officer will work to protect the exterior walls of DU and its constituent colleges from being defaced throughout the year, ensuring that university spaces remain clean and free from illegal posters and banners.
In addition to this, the committee aims to regulate the powers of DUSU office-bearers, including curbing the potential misuse of their positions to gain unfair advantages, such as benefiting from university canteens or booking university venues for non-official purposes.
Another key issue the committee will address is improving female representation in the student union. It will explore the possibility of implementing reservations to ensure greater participation of women in the student body.
Background
The formation of this committee follows the controversy surrounding the 2024 DUSU elections, held on September 27.
Despite clear prohibitions on the use of printed posters and banners, DU campuses were flooded with campaign materials, leading to a significant defacement of university property.
The Delhi High Court intervened, ordering the university to compensate civic agencies for the cleanup costs incurred due to the excessive defacement.
The court also stayed the announcement of the election results, which were originally scheduled for September 28. As a result, the declaration of the DUSU election results has been delayed for over a month, with the court's order requiring the defacement to be cleared before the results can be announced.
