The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, asked the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Delhi University to make a decision for reserving seats for women of Delhi University in the Delhi University Student’s Union’s (DUSU) upcoming elections in 2024. This came after the petition was filed in the High Court asking for a reservation of 50 percent for women candidates in DUSU elections.
Shabana Hussain, a student of M.A. at Delhi University’s Arts Faculty, is the petitioner of this case, and Ashu Bidhuri is the legal advocate of the case. Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela are the judges appointed to hear the case.
The whole purpose of filing the case, according to the petitioner and her advocate, was that they wanted more women to participate in the DUSU election process by coming forward and standing for the election as an elected candidate. Women do not show up when it comes to being elected in the elections because of the money and muscle power of other elected candidates. All such things limit the engagement of female candidates in the election. By reserving seats for women candidates in the election, we will encourage more female candidates to participate without thinking much of the cost, resources, and support.
The petitioner explained her point by giving the example of ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,’ which is currently a bill discussed in Parliament under which 33 percent of reservations are given to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The petitioner said that if the Women’s Reservation Bill is introduced at the central level, why not Delhi University should think of giving equal representation by reserving seats for women in the DUSU election?
She also remarked that Uttarakhand’s state government made it compulsory for all its state universities to reserve seats up to 50 percent for female candidates in the student union elections.
After hearing the case, the High Court directed Delhi University’s Vice Chancellor to look into the matter carefully and take appropriate actions considering the petition. Also, three weeks are given to the DU to make a decision regarding the petition.
The High Court also noticed that the petitioner had given the representation to the Delhi University in October last year, but when nothing was done by DU in this issue, the petitioner filled the case.
The High Court also highlighted the importance of ensuring fair representation of women in student political elections, which is essential for promoting gender equality in educational institutions.
The High Court has given authority to DU to look into the case and make a certain decision, and the High Court itself did not take an immediate ruling; all this might have increased the chaos in this case. Now, everyone is waiting for the decision of DU on this matter.
