NEW DELHI
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on Thursday said it would soon approach the Delhi High Court against Delhi University’s notification mandating a ₹1-lakh bond from the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) candidates as a preventive measure against property defacement during election campaigning.
DUSU elections are scheduled for September 18. The university has said the bond aims to curb defacement of property by candidates and their supporters. However, several student groups have criticised the move, calling it “arbitrary” and “exclusionary”.
Sohan Kumar Yadav, member of the SFI’s Delhi State Committee, said: “While the administration’s intention to curb defacement is appreciable, the move is arbitrary and exclusionary.”
Abhinandana, joint secretary of SFI at Hindu College, said the bond would discourage ordinary students from contesting. “This provision will alienate marginalised students who cannot compete with those having ample resources,” she said.
The SFI said it had already submitted a memorandum to the university administration, but received no positive response. “The only option left is to take up this issue legally, which mandates us to approach the High Court soon,” the organisation stated.
Other student groups, including the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India, and the Aam Aadmi Party’s Association of Students for Alternative Politics, have also strongly opposed the bond, claiming that it restricts the polls to affluent students and blocks middle-class candidates from participating.
Published – August 22, 2025 01:33 am IST
