JNUSU occupies DoS office, demands student union poll dates;  delay not on our end, matter pending in court: V-C

JNUSU demands prompt notification for union polls, administration cites pending court case for delay.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Thursday occupied the Dean of Students’ (DoS) office demanding that the notification for the students’ union polls be issued forthwith. The JNUSU has been holding protests over the issue for the past few weeks, accusing the administration of delaying the notification to prevent the conduct of fresh elections.

However, Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit attributed the delay to a poll-related case pending in the Delhi High Court.

Last year, the notification was issued on January 23. The polls were held on March 22 and the results were declared two days later.

“A case filed by a JNU student last year is still pending in the court. We are ready to conduct the elections and will do so whenever the Delhi High Court gives us the nod,” the V-C told The Hindu.

Ms. Pandit was referring to a case filed by a JNUSU candidate after the last-minute cancellation of her candidature. A notice recently issued by the administration stated that after some inconsistencies were pointed out by the court, the administration had filed an application seeking some clarifications. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 27.

The notice asked “all stakeholders” to avoid “speculation or agitation regarding the alleged delay in holding the JNUSU elections” and urged everyone to maintain order and “refrain from disruptive activities”.