The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea challenging the results of the recently held Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections over allegations of large-scale electoral malpractice and partisan campaigning by university officials in favour of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Justice Saurabh Banerjee rejected the plea filed by Vijay Shankar Meena, a candidate of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) who contested the polls for the post of President.

As the counsel appearing for the petitioner relied upon certain photographs to support the allegations, the Court said that the images were not sufficient to hold that any of the individuals seen in them was part of the Delhi University and was canvassing during the elections with any of the contestants.

The Court also said that the photographs were undated and lacked particulars and as such, they could not be gone into.

It also noted that any of the individuals purportedly seen in the images were not made parties to the petition.

Justice Banerjee also said that the Lyngdoh Committee report, relating to student elections in colleges and universities, was not applicable to the facts of the case since the petitioner was unable to show the time and date of the events.

As the Court dismissed the plea, the counsel appearing for Delhi University said that the representation of the petitioner, though made only four days ago, will be decided as expeditiously as possible.

The Court took note of the statement and dismissed the petition.

The petitioner had sought the quashing of the results declared on September 19, in which ABVP candidate Yash Dabas was declared elected as DUSU President with 24,576 votes. Meena secured 22,523 votes, trailing by 2,053 votes.

The petition alleged that the university and college officials, including principals, professors and election officers, openly campaigned for ABVP candidates, thereby compromising the neutrality of the election machinery.

It also sought the preservation of CCTV footage from five colleges, alleging irregularities in voter turnout and excessive voting.

The petition alleged that Ankit Sangwan and Mohit Dahiya, who were appointed as election officers at Satyawati College (Morning), campaigned for ABVP candidates before polling. It further alleged that a professor at Zakir Hussain College and the University's Joint Dean, also campaigned for ABVP candidates.

According to the petitioner, certain colleges recorded voter turnout of up to 80%, despite the overall university-wide turnout being 40.46%. The petition claimed that these disparities, coupled with alleged instances of coercion and partisan campaigning, raised concerns about the fairness of the election.

The petitioner has contended that the alleged conduct violates the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, which mandate institutional neutrality in student elections and prohibit the use of administrative machinery to benefit any candidate or organisation.

Title: VIJAY SHANKAR MEENA v. UNIVERSITY OF DELHI AND ORS