Delhi University is taking steps to reform its students' union elections in order to eradicate corruption and misconduct. (Source: File)Delhi University has proposed to overhaul its students’ union election process for a poll free of “money and muscle power”. The suggestion was presented at the varsity’s Executive Council meeting Thursday.The university administration took note of the Delhi High Court order issued on November 11, 2024, in Prashan Manchanda vs. Union of India, where the court proposed a structural shift from the current single-tier election to a two-tier model. The proposal, according to the court, is designed “to prevent defacement and the use of muscle and money power at the university level”.Last year, the Delhi High Court summoned 15 candidates from the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections for defacing public and private property while campaigning for the polls. The court on Monday directed them to give an undertaking that “they shall not deface or mutilate any public property” in the future.It is learnt that the committee formed following the high court orders suggested replacing its existing election system with a two-tier model that decentralises the voting process. The proposed system allows colleges, departments, and centres to conduct their own elections, with elected representatives advancing to the university level to determine the DUSU office bearers.“ The committee merely presented its suggestions in the EC meeting today as a reporting item. It is not part of the agenda. The suggestions are being shown to the stakeholders to get their suggestions on how to conduct the elections to ensure they are free from money and muscle power. This structure that is being proposed is how elections used to be conducted in the 1990s, too,” a higher official at DU told The Indian Express.” The procedure suggested is that the colleges, its societies, and the departments will have their own elections, and the ones who win internally will have a chance to get a spot on the DUSU panel. This is being proposed to make the election free and fair and to ensure safety on the campus during the campaigning,” the official added.The court noted that this change aligns with a key recommendation from the Lyngdoh Committee, stating, “Centralized single-tier DUSU elections may be replaced by two-tier DUSU elections whereby the Colleges/Departments/Central Institutes may hold elections at their own level and the President of the College Union/Department Union/Centre Union as well as the Central Councilors may be allowed to take part in Tier II election in which the DUSU office bearers may be elected.”Story continues below this adThe court emphasised that students must recognise the importance of preserving university infrastructure and maintaining a respectful electoral process. “Since the students studying in Delhi University are young, this Court is of the view that they deserve a second chance,” the judgment stated.“The intent of the present proceedings is to ensure that students and candidates understand that the University and public property belongs to the public at large,” it added.As part of its ruling, the court instructed Delhi University to monitor compliance with the new election guidelines and ensure that students who have previously defaced public property fulfil their commitment to restoring it. The university has been directed to “file a status report along with reports from the candidates within ten days with the Registry of this Court”.In response to the ruling, the university’s council resolved that the DUSU advisor and chief election officer must submit a detailed proposal outlining the implementation of the new election model. The vice-chancellor had been authorised to “take appropriate decisions and report the same to the Executive Council”.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:delhi university