DU students to beautify properties defaced during DUSU polls: DMRC to HC

The Delhi Metro along with some Delhi University students, who defaced DU properties during the DU polls, has identified 10 sites for beautification as a pilot project. The beautification work will be undertaken on June 9-10, the DMRC told the high court here.

In view of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation submission, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said let the needful be done and a report submitted before the next date of hearing on July 16.

The court was hearing a plea by advocate Prashant Manchanda, who sought a complete ban on defacement of public properties by the DUSU poll candidates. The bench was informed that the guidelines against defacement were yet to be finalised.

The bench, thereafter, directed Manchanda, the DMRC, the university and the DU student union to coordinate with the joint registrar of the high court and finalise the guidelines expeditiously.  It said the issue of guidelines would be taken up on May 29.

Directions were also issued to the Centre, the Delhi government and the university to take steps to publicise the penal consequences of defacement of public property, including in the campus.

Earlier the court had issued bailable warrants against several students, who had contested the 2017 DUSU polls, for failing to appear before it despite being served a notice in the PIL.

It had also directed the students to work with the DMRC to restore its defaced properties across the city after taking into consideration the metro's submission that about 76 of its properties were found to be permanently defaced and restoring them would cost over Rs 16 lakh and take six months.

The high court had earlier warned the students of Delhi University that they might have to go to jail if they were found defacing public property ahead of the next elections for the varsity's student union, DUSU.

(With PTI inputs)