Chandigarh: The long delay in conducting Panjab University’s Senate elections has now reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where a fresh plea has been filed seeking immediate directions to the university authorities to announce the poll schedule. The petition comes at a time when students and faculty have been protesting across the campus, demanding restoration of the university’s democratic structure.
The plea, submitted by Harpreet Singh Dua through advocates R. Kartikeya and R. Akanksha, urges the court to instruct Panjab University and the Chancellor’s office to promptly notify election dates for all Senate constituencies. The applicant alleged that certain “vested interests” within the system were deliberately delaying the process to weaken the university’s long-standing democratic framework.
According to the petition, the term of the new Senate was due to begin on November 1, 2024, but no election schedule has been announced so far. “The deliberate delay in the poll notification appears to be an attempt to subvert the university’s representative governance model for personal and political motives,” the plea stated.
The petitioner further argued that despite a previous court direction issued on March 27, granting the Chancellor a final opportunity to submit a response, no reply has been filed even after seven months. “The inaction reflects a conscious effort to derail the democratic process and deny stakeholders their legitimate right to representation,” the petition added.
During the pendency of the matter, the petitioner alleged that some individuals “who lacked the courage to face elections” had misled the authorities into amending structures to curb electoral participation. A university notification dated October 28 allegedly reduced the size of the Senate and excluded several constituencies from voting rights, a move described as “arbitrary and unconstitutional” in the application.
The plea also highlighted that the university’s Syndicate, another key decision-making body, was being “rendered toothless” by replacing elected positions with nominations, effectively ensuring that elected members remain in minority. “Such measures strike at the heart of participatory governance and erode the democratic ethos upon which the university was built,” the counsel submitted.
The High Court has already issued a notice of motion in the ongoing case, with the next hearing scheduled for December 16. The petitioner has requested the court to initiate an inquiry, identify those responsible for the delay, and ensure that the election process is restored in keeping with the Panjab University Act and its democratic principles.
