HC asks AMU to respond in 10 days on students’ union polls

The Allahabad High Court has granted a 10-day period to Aligarh Muslim University to provide its response to a public interest litigation seeking the immediate conduct of students’ union elections. The PIL, filed by LLM student Kaif Hasan, challenged the university’s failure to hold these elections since 2019, arguing that it violates students’ democratic rights and contravenes the university’s statutes. The petitioner’s counsel contended that the AMU Act 1920 and recommendations by the Lyngdoh committee mandate annual students’ union elections within a specific timeframe. The petition highlighted that the institution has failed to conduct these elections for six consecutive years, allegedly flouting the Supreme Court’s judgment in the University of Kerala vs Council of Principals’ Colleges Kerala, which underscored the significance of student representation.