NGT notice to Delhi University on use of paper in elections

The National Green Tribunal today strongly objected to the blatant use of paper in the DUSU elections in violation of its order restraining the students' body from using pamphlets and splattering the walls of the varsity campus with posters.
Issuing notice to the Delhi University on the issue, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also sought the responses from Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) and the University Grants Commission, asking them to appear before it tomorrow.
The order came after advocates Piyush Singh and Aditya Parola mentioned the matter before the bench and referred to media reports citing contempt of the tribunal's 2015 order. DUSU elections are scheduled on September 12.

The directions came on a plea by Delhi University law student Nithin Chandran, who had approached NGT against indiscriminate wastage of paper during the students' body elections.
Chandran had contended in his plea that he was shocked to see posters, pamphlets, flyers and cards being used for canvassing and campaigning in the DUSU polls by various candidates.
"Every year in DUSU election and other student bodies election, the quantity of paper wasted in canvassing and campaigning is huge and the damage therein to the environment is irreparable.

"On every election, tonnes of paper are wasted for canvassing by the candidates and their supporters. Wherein, there is no accountability for usage of paper and neither there is any norm or procedure for re-cycling of this waste paper," the plea had said.

It had has also cited the Supreme Courts 2006 order directing universities to implement the recommendations of the JM Lyngdoh committee in their students' union elections.
The committee had recommended prohibition of the use of printed paper and posters for canvassing and suggested use of hand-made posters in elections.