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Let not student poll spoil campus atmosphere: court

New Delhi: “Let not the academic atmosphere be spoiled for the sake of student elections,” the Supreme Court said on Friday making it clear that the J.M. Lyngdoh committee recommendations on college union elections must be implemented in toto.

A Bench consisting of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P. Sathasivam told counsel for the parties: “Our idea of college elections was students first, leaders later. But now we find leaders first and students later. There are full-time leaders and part-time students.”

To a question from the Bench, Additional Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam, who is assisting the court in this matter, said feedback from many universities showed that they had implemented the recommendations of the Lyngdoh panel and the Raghavan committee (on measures to prevent ragging).

Counsel for some of the students of Delhi University complained that union elections were taking place on Friday and that the university had only partially implemented the Lyngdoh committee recommendations.

The Bench responded: “Non-compliance is visible in Delhi. We have seen posters, photographs, banners and pamphlets. It has to end, otherwise we have to open a new syllabus or curriculum for dadagiri and goondagiri.”

When counsel pleaded for staying the elections, the Bench said it would not interfere.”

It said: “Student leaders are expected to be a model for other students. What we see today is [that] you spend lakhs of rupees to become a leader. So many heads are broken. What sort of student leaders we will have? Let not the academic atmosphere be spoiled for the sake of student elections.”

The Bench granted Mr. Subramaniam two weeks to place on record the compliance reports submitted by universities.

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