SC junks student’s plea against nomination rejection for JNUSU poll

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a student’s plea, challenging the rejection of her nomination for contesting the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections on April 25.

A Bench, led by Justice Vikram Nath, refused to “interfere with the regulation”, which barred candidates above the age of 25 to contest the JNUSU poll.

The JNUSU polls are scheduled on April 25 and JNU has received 250 nominations for the post of school councillors and 165 for the four central panel posts of the JNUSU. Voting will take place in two phases — from 9 am to 1 pm and from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm — with counting set to begin at 9 pm the same day. The results are expected by April 28.

First year post-graduate student Rithu Anubha C referred to the JM Lyngdoh committee guidelines to claim JNU was under an obligation to conduct student union polls within six to seven weeks of the start of the academic session.

The student’s counsel said had the JNU administration conducted the polls in September, as held usually, she would have been eligible to contest.

The counsel said now that she was little above 25 years of age, her nomination papers were rejected for no fault of hers.

“The JNUSU elections are held in September every year,” the counsel said.

“Many universities did not hold the elections during the Covic-19. Does it mean that the over-aged can later seek the right to contest?” the Bench asked as it dismissed the plea.

Delhi