HC allows DU to declare DUSU presidential candidate's poll result

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed the Delhi University poll panel to declare the results of the DUSU presidential election.

Justice Indermeet Kaur modified her previous order in which she had asked the varsity not to declare the DUSU presidential candidates' poll results and keep it sealed.

The DU had moved an application saying that partial counting of results, barring the presidential poll, was not possible as the polling is to be done using electronic voting machines (EVMs). The court therefore allowed the result of the presidential poll to be declared along with the other posts.

As voting is done using EVMs it is not possible to complete counting, excluding the post of DUSU president, the poll panel of DU had said.

The High Court, however, said even if the presidential poll result was declared, it would be subject to the outcome of a petition filed by National Students' Union of India's (NSUI) presidential candidate Rocky Tuseed, who had challenged rejection of his nomination.

The DU in its application asked the court to permit it to declare the result of all candidates as scheduled subject to the final outcome of the Tuseed's petition.

"The counting of votes and declaration of results of DUSU election is an open process conducted in the presence of all the candidates contesting elections. The whole process is displayed live on the projector screens installed in the counting centre. Thus, concealing the result and keeping it in a sealed envelope as directed by the court is not practically possible," said the plea by the university.

The DUSU election is being held on Tuesday and results will be declared on Wednesday.

Earlier on September 8, the court in an interim order allowed Congress affiliated NSUI's presidential candidate Tuseed to contest election after he challenged the September 6 DU's Chief Election Officer's (CEO) decision rejecting his nomination due to a disciplinary case against him.

In support of its decision, the officer had cited an incident of disciplinary action against him at Shivaji College which had proscribed him from entering the college in 2014.

--IANS

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