The Delhi High Court on Friday questioned the conduct of students during campaigning for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, particularly the alleged display of weapons, cavalcades and other incidents of violence.

“They are openly displaying weapons, how can these be students?” the Court remarked while hearing the matter.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed that no victory procession would be permitted after the DUSU election results are declared. The restriction will apply not only to public roads but also to the university campus and hostels.

The Court placed the responsibility on the Delhi Police to ensure that no such procession takes place. It said any violation would invite criminal and administrative action and would also amount to contempt of court.

The votes are scheduled to be counted on Saturday. The bench directed Delhi Police and Delhi University authorities to take all permissible preventive measures and act immediately if any violation is detected.

The Court also directed all student organisations present during the hearing to inform all candidates, students and their supporters about the directions without waiting for a copy of the order.

In a separate direction, the bench issued notices to all student organisations and all 140 candidates contesting the DUSU elections, seeking their responses on why collective electoral damages should not be imposed for alleged violations of election norms.

The Court expressed strong concern over the alleged use of cavalcades during the campaign and questioned why such activities continued despite the deployment of a large police force.

“These cavalcades create a sense of fear, terror and hegemony. What deterrent action did you take?” the bench asked.

The Court also questioned the alleged practice of candidates standing on the roofs and bonnets of cars during campaigning, observing that such conduct amounted to serious hooliganism.

“What else is hooliganism? What can be more alarming than all this in the capital city of our nation?” the bench observed.

The judges further questioned student organisations over the conduct of their candidates, particularly the alleged display of weapons and movement in luxury-car cavalcades.

The bench said it would consider imposing collective damages for the alleged violations and observed that the student organisations had not “mended” their ways despite earlier directions.

Referring to its previous orders concerning DUSU elections, the Court said it had been lenient in the past. It also referred to an earlier incident in which a candidate allegedly slapped a teacher after winning the election, making it clear that such conduct could not simply be addressed by accepting apologies.

The Court observed that the administrative measures taken by Delhi University and police action did not appear to have created sufficient deterrence against alleged hooliganism and other unlawful activities during the elections.

It reiterated that Delhi University and other authorities must take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations as well as the Court's previous orders concerning DUSU elections.

The bench further directed authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), to ensure that no damage is caused to public property. In case of any violation, the concerned agency must take immediate action, the Court said.