Delhi HC appoints former SC Judge as observer for upcoming JNU students union elections

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The Delhi High Court on Friday appointed former Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramanian, as the observer for the upcoming Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union elections while hearing a plea on the polls.

The plea moved by a JNU student sought direction to frame appropriate university statute, regulations or mechanisms for conducting JNUSU elections, incorporating the recommendations prescribed in the Lyngdoh Commission.

The bench of Justice Sachin Datta allowed the petitioner to "approach the grievance Redressal Cell set up vide the aforesaid notification dated March 6, 2024, and in terms of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations".

"The Grievance Redressal Cell is directed to examine the grievances raised by the petitioner and pass a reasoned order thereon in accordance with law," the bench observed.

In case it is found that the constitution of the EC is not in consonance with the law and with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, appropriate consequential orders as regards the impugned elections, would also be passed by the Grievance Redressal Cell, the court ruled.

"In view of the election schedule that is stated to have been notified on March 10, 2024, the Grievance Redressal Cell is directed to complete the aforesaid exercise and pass a reasoned order prior to the declaration of the final results," the bench stated further.

The petitioner, a student of the university, sought quashing and setting aside the notification dated January 30, 2024 inviting students of selected organisations for the meeting.

Another notification dated February 16, 2024 authorised two students--Aishe Ghosh and Md Danish--to conduct the GBMs for formulation of EC and the notification dated March 6, 2024, notifying the list of Election Commission members along with the Chairperson of the Election Committee (CEC) of the Election Commission for the JNUSU Elections 2023-24.

The petitioner, Sakhi, further sought direction to conduct fresh GBMs strictly in accordance with the terms specified in the Lyngdoh Committee Report and as accepted and modified by the Supreme Court to ensure the sanctity and trust in the JNUSU Elections.

"The conduct of the Respondent in notifying the JNUSU elections 2023-24 at the fag end of the academic session is nothing but an eyewash and mockery of democratic process, aimed at pacifying a certain group and as such serves no purpose," the plea stated.

"The impugned notifications seek to give sanctity to the flawed and unfair process adopted to notify and conduct the JNUSU Elections 2023-24, including the selection of the Election Commission and is mala fide, unreasonable, arbitrary and illegal and as such deserves to be quashed," it read.

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