SC accepts Lyngdoh Committee report on student election reforms

New Delhi, Sep 22 (UNI) The Supreme Court today accepted the report of the committee, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh, suggesting measures to cleanse the university and college union elections in the country from politicisation and criminalisation.

A bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta, while accepting the report, directed the government to implement the recommendations without variation until further orders.

The court, while fixing November 6 as the next date of hearing, directed all the parties concerned to file their suggestions, in respect of aforesaid recommendations such as the grievance redressal mechanism and other suggestions, and views within four weeks.

It also directed the government to provide security to the members of the academic community in colleges and suggested that the area SP be tasked with providing them enough security to prevent any untoward incident. The court directed that this measure be implemented as and when the necessity arose.

The SC also directed that the copies of today's order be sent to the cabinet Secretary and all the state Chief Secretaries for compliance.

The important recommendations of the Lyngdoh committee include setting up of a separate election commission for elections to student unions of university and colleges and also seeking a declaration from the candidate that he or she does not belong to any political party. The committe had also recommended that any criminal or lawless act should be reported to the police by the university within 12 hours but the apex court reduced the period of 12 hours to six hours.

A candidate would be allowed to spend only Rs 5000 for the elections, with the sum collected through voluntary contribution from the students and would have to later submit a copy of the expenditure account certified by a Chartered Accountant. However, the court modified the provision, permitting the candidate to certify the expenses himself.

The committee has also suggested that class representatives should be elected directly, who in turn, would elect college union office bearers, who would then elect university union office bearers.

This model would be especially applicable to large universities.

The Lyngdoh Committee has also referred to reports from universities in Kolkata and Kerala where candidates, not conforming to the ideology of the ruling party, were forced to withdraw. It also objected to the fielding of candidates by student wings of political parties such as NSUI, ABVP and SFI and so on, as these candidates were more guided and influenced by the political interest of their respective parties and senior leaders of these parties and also politicise and criminalise the atmosphere during elections.

UNI AKS/SC Vd RAI1949