SC to hear plea against Lyngdoh panel report on students union polls on Jul 23

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on July 23 a plea challenging a recommendation by the Lyngdoh Committee which stipulates that a candidate cannot contest more than once for the post of an office bearer of a students’ union.

The plea came up for hearing on Wednesday before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan. “Counsel for the respondent(s) seeks and is granted four weeks’ time to file the counter affidavit, if so required. Following an order of the apex court, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development had constituted a committee under JM Lyngdoh, a former chief election commissioner (CEC), to make recommendations on issues related to student bodies and student union elections conducted in universities, colleges and other higher education institutions across India. The committee had submitted its report on May 26, 2006. The top court is hearing a plea filed by Uttarakhand resident Naveen Prakash Nautiyal and others against recommendation 6.5.6 of the Lyngdoh Committee. The recommendation states, “The candidate shall have one opportunity to contest for the post of office bearer, and two opportunities to contest for the post of an executive member.” The apex court had on February 12 sought responses from the Centre and others on the plea.

The panel’s recommendations were accepted by the top court, which directed on September 22, 2006 that they shall be implemented by all colleges and universities for student union elections to be

held thereafter.