Defacement of walls irks Delhi HC, NGT

New Delhi: The Delhi high court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday expressed shock at the massive use of pamphlets, fliers, and plastering of Delhi University walls with posters for the upcoming students’ Union polls, with both issuing notices to the authorities and others.

The high court sought the responses of the city police and the civic bodies on a petition seeking a complete ban on the alleged defacement of public properties by the candidates for the upcoming Delhi University Student Union (Dusu) polls on September 12.

Shocked at the alleged inaction of the authorities on the use of spray paints, posters, banners, and hoardings in and around the university campus walls and inside the classrooms, a bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar sought to know “why action has not been taken.”

In a related development, the NGT also strongly objected to the blatant use of paper in the DUSU elections in violation of its order restraining the students’ body from using pamphlets and splattering the campus walls with posters.

Issuing notice to DU on the issue, a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also sought responses from Dusu and the UGC, asking them to appear before it on Wednesday.

The high court bench directed the DU, Delhi police, municipal corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporations to place their stand before it in one week for allegedly not taking any action against the said violation and illegal act.

The bench also issued notice to the authorities and asked them to inspect the area where such posters have been put up by all the student wings of major political parties, who are contesting the DUSU election. The bench sought action taken report by the authorities before the next date of hearing on September 11, a day before the scheduled election.