Students’ poll subject to decision on petition: HC

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 16

A day before the student union elections in Haryana, Justice Rajan Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday made it clear that the poll would be subject to the decision on a writ petition challenging the process.

Justice Gupta also issued a notice of motion to the state and other respondents for November 12 on a bunch of petitions filed by Anita Kumar, research scholar in Maharishi Dayanad University (MDU), and other petitioners.

Kumar had challenged the government’s decision of not allowing research scholars to contest the poll, in accordance with the recommendations of Tankeshwar Committee. The petitioner’s argument was that the elections were required to be conducted as per the recommendations of Lyngdoh Committee, not Tankeshwar Committee.

Appearing for the petitioners, Ravinder Singh Dhull and Sukhvinder Singh Nara argued that the government had not formed a grievance redress mechanism for the elections, as per the recommendations of Lyngdoh panel.

Justice Gupta’s Bench was also told that the petitioners were feeling aggrieved as they could neither contest elections nor cast their vote despite the fact that Lyngdoh Committee had allowed them both.

Dhull further submitted that an opportunity of hearing was not given to the research scholars and no reason was assigned as to why the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee, duly accepted by the Supreme Court and made mandatory, were given a go-by by the Haryana Government.

The petition 

Anita Kumar, a research scholar of MDU, and other petitioners had challenged the government’s decision of not allowing research scholars to contest the poll