New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Monday has sought a response from the chief election officer of the Delhi University on a plea challenging the results of the recently held student union elections in the capital.The plea sought repolling, claiming that the election held on Sept 18 was “vitiated” on account of tampering with the electronic voting machines (EVM).Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice to DU and others on the petition filed by NSUI’s student leaders, Ronak Khatri and Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, who challenged the result for the president’s post and alleged EVM tampering. The court has posted the matter for Dec 16.“In the interim, the chief electoral officer appointed by DU is directed to ensure that EVMs utilised for polling and counting, all paper trails and documentation are in a secure place under lock and key,” the HC directed.The plea alleged that EVMs were found to be deliberately tampered with blue ink markings against the name of the ABVP presidential candidate, Aryan Mann, to influence voters, “thereby undermining the neutrality, transparency and legitimacy of the electoral process.”The petitioners said they and “other students/polling agents requested the election/returning officers, university officials and teachers on election duty to preserve the tainted EVMs, record incident reports and halt polling, but the authorities refused or failed to act, allowing the compromised polling process to continue.” It further claimed “irregularities” were specifically witnessed and reported at Hansraj College, Kirori Mal College and the Faculty of Law.During the hearing, the counsel for DU rebutted the allegations and pointed out that neither the colleges nor the winning candidate was arraigned as a party.
