The Delhi High Court has barred candidates, students and supporters from holding victory processions after the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election results, including on public roads, inside the university campus and in hostels. The court placed responsibility for enforcing the order on the Delhi Police and warned that any violation could invite criminal and administrative action as well as contempt proceedings.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia also issued notices to all student organisations contesting the election and all 140 DUSU candidates. The notices seek responses on whether a collective electoral penalty should be imposed over alleged violations of election rules.
The order followed a hearing in which the bench questioned the reported use of vehicle convoys during campaigning and the alleged conduct of candidates standing on car roofs and bonnets. The court asked how such activities were allowed despite the deployment of a large police force and questioned whether the convoys created an atmosphere of fear, intimidation and dominance.
The bench also expressed concern over allegations involving weapons and luxury-car convoys during the campaign. It questioned whether such conduct was consistent with student participation and said that the reported activities required serious attention from student organisations and authorities.
The restriction on victory processions applies after the declaration of the results and covers roads, university premises and hostels. The court said the Delhi Police must ensure that no such procession takes place. It further stated that any breach would lead to criminal and administrative action and would amount to contempt of court.
To support immediate compliance, the court directed representatives of all student organisations present on the campus to inform candidates, students and supporters about the directions without waiting for a copy of the order. Counsel for the National Students’ Union of India, Rishav Ranjan, assured the court that no victory procession would be held. Senior advocate Apoorv Kurup, appearing for the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, also supported the court’s direction.
The court directed Delhi University and the Delhi Police to take all necessary preventive measures to ensure strict compliance with the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee and earlier judicial orders governing student elections. The directions place responsibility on both the university administration and law-enforcement authorities to prevent violations during the result period.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other authorities were also directed to ensure that public property is not damaged. The bench said that any violation detected by the authorities should be acted upon immediately.
The court’s intervention makes the result-day management of DUSU elections a joint enforcement responsibility involving the police, Delhi University, municipal authorities and student organisations. The immediate milestone is the declaration of the election results, after which the authorities must enforce the ban across roads, the campus and hostels.
