HC tells W.B. to file affidavit on resuming student union polls

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal government to file an affidavit within two weeks on the resumption of student union elections and urged the State to issue a notification to initiate the election process promptly.

The verbal order was given during a hearing of a 2023 public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Sayan Banerjee. In the PIL, Mr. Banerjee had petitioned for the resumption of student union elections across public universities in West Bengal, as well as the reinstatement of anti-ragging committees.

Notably, student union elections came to a halt across higher education institutions in West Bengal a little before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Earlier this year, students of Jadavpur University staged protests demanding holding of elections, which have been withheld in the institution for five years.

“This is a positive step towards the restoration of a democratic atmosphere in the State’s higher education institutes. Student union elections must be expedited. Without that various problems have arisen, including the unchecked reign of terror by former office-bearers. Many of them have graduated but continue to exert their influence on college campuses as outsiders,” Mr. Banerjee told The Hindu.

He added that in response to the government’s counsel stating that many higher education institutions currently do not have a Vice-Chancellor (V-C), the court urged the State to begin elections in universities where a V-C is present.

Earlier this month, hearing another PIL by Mr. Banerjee, the High Court had directed the State government to lock up union rooms in colleges where there was no recognised student body or where student union elections had not taken place recently.

“The State government is willing to conduct student union elections, and politically, the student wing of Trinamool is ready for fresh union polls. However, for various challenges like the pandemic and the change in the semester system in colleges due to the National Education Policy 2020, the State hasn’t been able to conduct elections so far,” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said.

Political influence

The court on Thursday also observed that the governing bodies of higher education institutions in the State should be freed from political influence and should include renowned academicians.

Currently, several Trinamool leaders are part of the governing bodies of many public universities.

Notably, Trinamool MLA Ashok Deb heads the governing body of South Calcutta Law College, where Monojit Mishra, an ex-student and a temporary employee, has been accused of raping a student. Mishra also had strong ties to the ruling dispensation.

“In various State commissions, the West Bengal government has tried to minimise political influence by appointing renowned public intellectuals to head them. In case of governing bodies in educational institutions, I believe there is no harm in including Trinamool leaders who have been academics in the past, like Bratya Basu and Saugata Ray. They understand administration, the pulse of common students, and also have experience in academia,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.