Make Candidates Pay For Defacement: HC

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered a crackdown on those defacing public property during the ongoing students' union elections at Delhi University (DU) and pulled up the authorities for not acting against the violators.
It also said DU should issue notices to the candidates involved in the defacement of public property and recover the damages caused. "You issue them disqualification notice today itself and also ask for recovery of money for defacement of properties.Delhi Metro and MCD should give the names of those involved to Delhi University. Give the names of those who are defacing public property," a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said.
It further directed the chief election officer of DU to remain present before it on Wednesday during the next hearing of the plea seeking action against the prospective candidates of DU Students' Union (DUSU) elections and student political outfits involved in damaging, defacing, soiling or destroying the beauty of public walls. "Delhi Police has to enforce the law, not us. If you don't want to enforce the law, what can we do? If the university does not want to do anything, what can we do about this?" the bench wondered.
"How can they put posters and graffiti on the walls of police stations? What were police officials doing when this was being done? This is shocking," the bench said, saying Municipal Corporation of Delhi was still in slumber as the agency was doing nothing despite big hoardings coming up everywhere.
"The problem is that no department speaks to the other. There is no coordination between govt departments. At times, one wonders if these authorities exist or not," it said while hearing a plea by petitioner advocate Prashant Manchanda seeking action against those involved in damaging classrooms.
Manchanda submitted that the DUSU elections were scheduled to be held on Sept 27 and candidates continued to deface public property in an escalating manner. He said if it was not restricted at the earliest, it would lead to irreparable harm to the entire national capital and the damage had been done everywhere, including buses, Delhi Metro station walls, public walls, bus stands, police stations, roads and private properties.
After examining certain photographs, HC questioned DU, MCD, Delhi Police and Delhi Metro why no stringent action has been taken against those responsible for damaging public properties. It asked DU to issue notices to the errant candidates and remove the posters within 24 hours.
The petitioner also sought directions to the authorities to ensure compliance with the guidelines for the prevention of defacement of property during the DUSU elections. He claimed that the court's directions were not being complied with and in utter disregard to all the restrictions, candidates had fearlessly continued to paste their posters/banners/spray paints and hoardings beyond the wall of democracy.