HC, panel rule in favour of NSUI prez candidate

NEWDELHI: Terming it “unsustainable”, the Delhi high court Monday stayed the JNU order to invalidate the nomination of Vikas Yadav, NSUI’S presidential candidate for the students’ union polls to be held on Friday.

While hearing the petition filed by the Congress students’ wing NSUI, Justice Siddharth Mridul said the university order was “unsustainable on innumerable grounds” as Yadav was not informed why his nomination as a candidate was cancelled.

Putting on hold Yadav’s candidature, the court also issued notice to JNU, the Member Secretary of its Grievance Redressal Cell (GRC) and the varsity chief proctor, seeking their stand on the matter by September 27.

“Don’t you have to tell him how he has violated the Lyngdoh committee recommendations? You don’t send him a complaint with a show cause notice. What will he respond to?” the court asked.

Appearing for Yadav, senior advocate Salman Khurshid contended the show cause notice by the GRC was mailed to Yadav at 12.17pm, asking him to appear at 12.30 the same day. He also submitted that JNU did not try to reach his client by any other means. Yadav, in his plea, also challenged the punishment imposed on him.

Following this, the court said that in its earlier order, it had said that no “coercive action” would be taken against Yadav till the pendency of the matter was in the court.

Meanwhile, the JNU’S election committee ruled against the GRC recommendation to invalidate Yadav’s nomination. “The election committee has unanimously decided not to accept the recommendation. Hence, Vikash Yadav’s nomination remains valid,” the committee said.