Delhi University faces Rs 4.55 lakh recovery cost for defaced election property

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will recover over Rs 4.55 lakh from Delhi University for clearing illegal posters and banners put up during the recent DUSU elections. This comes after significant defacement of public property, leading the court to halt the announcement of election results.

In Short

• MCD to recover Rs 4.55 lakh from DU for election defacement
• 37 workers, 4 trucks used for 11-day cleanup
• Results likely delayed till October 21 hearing

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to recover over Rs 4.55 lakh from Delhi University (DU) for costs incurred in removing illegal hoardings, posters, and banners that were put up during the recent Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections, leading to defacement of public property.

A status report revealed that from September 13 to September 26, a day before the elections, the MCD deployed 37 workers and four trucks over 11 days to clear the defacement. The cleanup efforts amounted to Rs 1,53,120 for trucks and Rs 3,01,994 for labour costs.

The court had earlier instructed Delhi University to bear the expenses of various agencies, including the MCD, government departments, and the Delhi Metro, for restoring public property defaced during the election campaign. The university is allowed to recover these costs from the candidates responsible for the damage.

However, there has been no response from Delhi University regarding how it plans to recover the amount from those candidates. Similarly, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has not provided an estimate of the expenses incurred for cleaning their property.

Due to the defacement violations, the court has halted the announcement of DUSU election results, which were initially set for September 28.

The results are now unlikely to be declared before October 21, the next scheduled court hearing. When asked about the possibility of requesting a relaxation in declaring the results, Chief Election Officer Satyapal Singh stated that the administration will fully comply with the court's order and will not seek any exemptions.

Singh also mentioned that the Chief Election Officer’s office had issued multiple warnings to the candidates, instructing them to remove unauthorised banners and posters, with the threat of disqualification if they failed to comply. However, despite these warnings, there was little progress on removing the materials, even on the day of vote counting.

Until the court permits the release of the election results, the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will remain securely stored in a strong room under surveillance, as confirmed by the university administration.

(With PTI inputs)