The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to pursue Delhi University to recover around ₹4.55 lakh. The MCD had to pay for removing unlawful hoardings, posters, and banners erected during the most recent student union elections, which is why this action has been taken to recover defacement due to DUSU polls.
These materials were found to have defaced public property across the city, prompting the MCD to take necessary action. In addition to holding institutions accountable for infractions of municipal norms, the corporation’s continual efforts to preserve the cleanliness and beauty of public areas include cost recovery.
The MCD arranged a clean-up operation to remove defacement due to DUSU polls in the area before the Delhi University Students’ Union elections, according to a recent status report. Starting on September 13 and ending on September 26, one day before the elections, this endeavour took place over eleven days. The MCD sent out a team of 37 people and four trucks to do the assignment.
According to the report, the civic authorities had to pay ₹3,01,994 for labour and ₹1,53,120 for trucks to complete the cleanup. These expenses were part of a larger project to repair public property after vandalism incidents. The MCD, government agencies, and Delhi Metro had to pay for the restoration work, and the court had already ordered Delhi University to pay for them.
This instruction transferred the financial burden to the university, enabling it to pursue reimbursement from the applicants found accountable for the defacement due to DUSU polls. The issue remains unresolved because the Delhi University administration has not yet made clear how it plans to bill the candidates responsible for the vandalism.
Regarding the approximate costs of cleaning its property, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has not responded right away. The court has currently delayed the publication of the DUSU election results until all instances of defacement due to DUSU polls have been erased. It is therefore improbable that the results, which were originally scheduled to be published on September 28, would be made public until October 21, when the court will re-examine the matter.
When questioned about the possibility of Delhi University appealing to the court for leniency in declaring the election results, Chief Election Officer Satyapal Singh clarified that the administration would adhere to the court’s ruling. He explained that the court had halted the announcement of results due to significant breaches of election regulations by the candidates, which led to fines and damages to property.
Singh emphasised that the administration has no plans to request any exemption and will await the court’s hearing scheduled for October 21. Candidates taking part in the elections received multiple notices from the Chief Election Officer’s office instructing them to take down any unlawful banners and posters. The candidates were also informed that noncompliance could result in their disqualification.
However, despite these repeated warnings, no action was taken, and the situation remained virtually unaltered, even on the day when votes were being tallied. The EVMs are now kept safe and under constant security supervision in a strong room. The management of the university has announced that the results will not be released until the court gives its approval.
