HC notice to DUSU candidates over defacing public walls, Metro pillars

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to a bunch of students who are running for various post of the Delhi University Student Union election over defacing and damaging of public walls and Metro pillars with poll posters and spray paints.

“These students can get into deep trouble...They can go in for 10 years,” the high court said referring to a provision in the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002 which say that a person can be sent behind bars for up to 10 years for causing destruction or damage to Metro properties.

The high court said, “The purpose is (behind sending the legal notices) that they (students) should learn it is impermissible.”

Delhi police said it has registered FIRs after getting complaints from various agencies that many of the road signposts have been defaced by spray paints with names of the parties and candidates running for the elections. The police said it has not named anyone as it was in the process of verifying whether the defacing was done by the candidates themselves or an act of mischief by rival parties.

Advocate Prashant Manchanda, who has filed the case, said inspite of the NDMC cleaning up a few selected areas such as bus stops, public walls in and around the area of University of Delhi, the same are again defaced and spray painted in a flash.

The civic bodies said they have put up efforts to remove the posters and banners of the student political outfits. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda alleging that disruption of classrooms by candidates and student outfits in “horrible shape and painting (walls) in the classrooms, deals a striking body blow to the right to life, liberty and education of the students”.

He sought directions to the civic bodies to slap heavy fines on parties and candidates and directions to “refurbish and prevent defacement of properties by DUSU outfits and candidates”.