In a significant order, the Delhi High Court restored the right of two Dayal Singh College students, Siya and Kajal Kumari, to contest the upcoming student body elections scheduled for 18th September 2025.
The students had approached the Court after their nomination forms, though submitted in time and meeting academic eligibility, were rejected. Kajal’s name had even appeared in the provisional list, but both names were missing from the final list issued on 13th September 2025.
The rejection was traced to an error in the surety bonds — the names of their mothers had been entered instead of their own. Terming it a minor clerical error, the students submitted corrected surety bonds and sought relief.
The Election Committee maintained that mistakes in surety bonds justified rejection, while the University of Delhi argued that inclusion at this stage would require technical changes in the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Justice Mini Pushkarna observed that the nomination forms themselves were error-free and the lapse was only in the surety bonds. Acknowledging the inadvertent nature of the error, the Court cautioned the petitioners for the future but ruled that such a minor defect should not bar them from contesting.
The Court directed the Election Committee to scrutinize the corrected surety bonds immediately and, if in order, accept the nominations, revise the candidate list, and update the EVMs.
Thus, the High Court intervened to ensure that a clerical mistake did not deprive students of their democratic rights in college elections.
Case Details:
- Case Law: SIYA THROUGH HER NEXT FRIEND KAJAL KUMARI AND ANR. V. ELECTION COMMITTEE DAYAL SINGH COLLEGE AND ANR.
- Citation: 2025: DHC: 8233
- Judgement Date: 18th September 2025
- Bench: Justice Mini Pushkarna
Click HERE for full judgment
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