Plea in Delhi HC Against Upcoming JNUSU Elections

A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court challenging the forthcoming Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) elections and seeks direction to establish appropriate university statutes, regulations, or mechanisms for conducting the JNUSU Elections, incorporating the recommendations outlined in the Lyngdoh Commission.

Justice Sachin Datta’s bench listed the matter for Friday and instructed the JNU counsels to procure instructions regarding the issue.

The petitioner, a student, seeks to invalidate and annul the notifications dated 30.01.2024 inviting selected organization’s students for a meeting, the notification dated 16.02.2024 authorizing two students, namely – Aishe Ghosh and Md. Danish, to conduct the General Body Meetings (GBMs) for the formulation of the Election Commission (EC), and the notification dated 06.03.2024, announcing the list of EC members along with the Chairperson of the Election Committee (CEC) for the JNUSU Elections 2023-24.

Furthermore, the petitioner Sakhi requests direction to conduct fresh GBMs strictly adhering to the terms specified in the Lyngdoh Committee Report as accepted and modified by the Supreme Court to ensure the sanctity and trust in the JNUSU Elections.

The plea alleges that the Respondent’s conduct in notifying the JNUSU Elections 2023-24 at the end of the Academic Session is merely a facade and mockery of the democratic process, aimed at appeasing a certain group, and thus serves no meaningful purpose.

The impugned notifications attempt to legitimize the flawed and unjust process adopted to notify and conduct the JNUSU Elections 2023-24, including the selection of the EC, and are alleged to be malicious, unreasonable, arbitrary, and illegal, warranting their annulment, the plea asserts.