DUSU Candidates Not Required To Deposit Rs 1 Lakh Bond To Contest Polls, Says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has recently clarified that Delhi University students contesting the DUSU elections are not required to deposit any money at the time of contesting the elections.

Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the order after it was informed that students contesting the DUSU polls need not deposit money and that the varsity shall instead accept an affidavit along with a security bond.

“Considering the aforesaid statements, it is clarified that the petitioners, or any other students intending to contest DUSU Elections, are not required to deposit any money at the time of contesting the Elections,” the High Court said.

The development comes after two Delhi University students, Anjali and Abhishek Kumar, who intended to contest the polls, filed a plea before the High Court seeking to quash Clause ‘v’ of a notification. The impugned clause was introduced on August 8, 2025, through a notification issued by the Registrar, University of Delhi, titled “Guidelines/Measures for Anti-Defacement in and Around University/College Campus and for DUSU Elections.”

Clause ‘v’ required that:

“Each contesting candidate shall be required to execute a bond of Rs. 1.00 Lakh for the offence of any defacement/violation of provisions of these Guidelines by themselves or their supporters, at the time of filing nomination for any post of DUSU.”

The petitioners, who hail from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category and come from humble backgrounds,  submitted that Clause ‘v’ of the notification imposes an unprecedented financial barrier by requiring a Rs 1 lakh security bond. The petitioners added that they simply cannot furnish such a bond.

However, during the hearing, counsel for Delhi University submitted that except for filing an affidavit/undertaking with regard to the bond of Rs 1 lakh, there is no requirement of pre-deposit of Rs 1 lakh under the notification.

Counsel for the petitioners said that if that was the case, they were satisfied, since the University’s clarification addressed their concern that no money needed to be deposited upfront at the time of contesting elections.

It was also the petitioners’ case that the notification is ultra vires the Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations. “The Petitioners, aspiring to contest DUSU elections to amplify student voices on issues like affordable education, hostel facilities, and campus safety, hail from economically modest families reliant on agriculture and daily wages. Their annual university fees are Rs. 8,087 and Rs. 28,670, respectively, rendering the Rs. 1,00,000 bond an insurmountable barrier,” the plea added.

It was further submitted that Clause ‘v’ subverts the democratic ethos of student unions, transforming elections into an elitist arena, contrary to judicial mandates for inclusivity.

Last year, too, the DUSU elections had come under the scrutiny of the Delhi High Court. The Court had pulled up candidates for defacement and mutilation of public property in a petition filed by one Prashant Manchanda, who sought directions against candidates involved in defacing public walls and disrupting classrooms. The Court had even paused vote counting until the defacement was removed.

 Court also noted in its November 2024 order that Delhi University, by a notification dated October 30, 2024, had constituted a “DUSU Elections Reforms Committee.” The said committee was created to bolster compliance with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and to oversee broader reforms in the student election process. Among several proposals, the committee recommended that each candidate should execute a bond of Rs 1,00,000 at the time of filing nomination.

For Petitioners: Mr. Raja Choudhary, Ms. Anushika Mishra and Mr. Kapil Sharma, Advs

For Respondents: Ms. Monika Arora, CGSC with Mr. Subhrodeep Saha, Mr. Prabhat Kumar, Ms. Anamika Thakur and Mr. Abhinav Verma, Advs. for R-2/UOI Mr. Mohinder J.S. Rupal, Mr. Hardik Rupal and Ms. Aishwarya Malhotra, Advs. for R-1

Case Title: ANJALI & ANR versus UNIVERSITY OF DELHI & ANR.

Date of Order: 29 August 2025

Bench: Justice Mini Pushkarna