Education News

Delhi Reduced temperature In a landmark order delivered on September 22, which could radically transform student politics in the country, the Supreme Court endorsed the J.M. Lyngdoh Committee’s stringent recommendations (submitted in July) on ways and means to clean up India’s notorious university and college elections. Under the order, a cap of Rs.5,000 has been imposed on poll expenses per candidate and donations by way of money or printed material from political parties have been banned. Moreover as per the apex court order, candidates must be full-time enrolled students with at least 75 percent attendance and below 28 years of age. Quite evidently the higher judiciary is exercised about student violence and deteriorating law and order on the nation’s campuses because the September 22 judgement is fairly comprehensive. The order forbids students with criminal records and those against whom disciplinary action has been taken by the university from contesting student elections, and restricts the term of office bearers in student unions to one year. However, for executive members, two terms have been permitted. The court also directed district police superintendents to deploy sufficient police personnel on campuses during elections to contain and stem poll-related violence, as recently experienced by Ujjain (see cover story). Bribery, intimidation, impersonation, communal and casteist propaganda and canvassing beyond campus perimeters have all been prohibited under the new code of conduct. Appointed by the Union HRD ministry on December 12 last year following a Supreme Court order, the Lyngdoh Committee recommended annual elections within six-eight weeks of the commencement of the first academic session. Significantly, it calls for the entire process from filing of nominations to campaigning and declaration of election results to be completed within ten days. The much misused eligibility criterion of age has been kept at 17-22 in case of undergraduates (though it could be relaxed for professional colleges); 24-25 years for postgrads, and 28 for research students. The committee has also recommended appointment of impartial observers. The Supreme Court order which will undoubtedly reduce the hype that currently surrounds student union elections, has evoked mixed response. While the right-wing BJP’s Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has whole-heartedly welcomed it and demanded holding of elections as per the court guidelines in all colleges countrywide, the Congress affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) has expressed outrage about indirect elections to universities. As per the Lyngdoh Committee’s recommen-dations, elected representatives of affiliated colleges will elect university presidents and office bearers. NSUI has resolved to discuss this matter with Union HRD minister Arjun Singh, whose ministry has been asked to implement the order in central universities, especially Delhi University which will be most affected by the new guidelines. Amrita Dhawan, the recently-elected NSUI-supported president of Delhi University is agitated about indirect elections of university office bearers as prescribed by the Lyngdoh Committee and the Supreme Court. “Indirect elections will reduce the involvement of students in university polls. This is violation of the funda-mental right of every student to choose representatives directly,” says Dhawan. Ajay Maken, former…