LC's university election reforms should be implemented: SC

New Delhi, Sep 7 (UNI) Expressing serious concern and anguish at the increasing influence of money and political parties in the university campuses in the country, the Supreme Court today directed that the recommendations of Lyngdoh Committee (LC) on reforming university elections should be strictly implemented.

A bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and P Sathasivam directed the Central government to file the action taken report within four weeks and adjourned the hearing till October 29.

The judges said ''in university elections we want students first, leaders are next.'' The apex court made it clear that they were seriously concerned with what they have seen on television where lakhs of rupees are being spent for university's students union election and the buildings were ''disappearing behind posters.'' The court also expressed concern on the increasing criminalisation of student politics and was unhappy with the casual attitude of the authorities towards the recommendations made by the former Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh, who had fixed the maximum expenditure limit at Rs 10,000 and debarred those students, who had not cleared all their exams from contesting.

The committee was appointed by the apex court to suggest ways to purge the student politics of the influence of money, muscle power, criminals and politicians.

The recommendations were accepted by the Supreme Court. The Centre and state government were directed to implement these recommendations without any delay.

Today's directions came on the applications, filed by two student leaders seeking stay on Delhi Union Student Election (DUSU) polling for which is taking place today on the grounds that the Delhi University has failed to implement the recommendations on students union election.

The applications, filed by Kapil Garg and Aman Sharma, were fixed for hearing today by the Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan before whose court the applications were mentioned yesterday for early hearing.

The students had objected to piecemeal implementation of the committee's report making mockery of the orders and directions of the Supreme Court issued in September 2006.

UNI