The Delhi High Court on Thursday clarified that students contesting the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections can furnish the mandated Rs 1 lakh surety through any person, including a guardian, who has the financial capacity to stand as surety, and not necessarily their parents.
The Bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh made the observation while hearing a petition filed by All India Students’ Association (AISA) activists Ananya Raturi and Akshat Shikhar, who sought to contest the upcoming DUSU elections and challenged Delhi University’s requirement that candidates submit an indemnity affidavit and a Rs 1 lakh surety bond signed by their parents.
The DUSU elections are scheduled to be held on September 18, with results expected on September 19.
The petitioners had challenged the requirement that candidates declare their parents’ awareness of their decision to contest the elections and obtain their parents’ or guardians’ surety for Rs 1 lakh in case of violation of the Lyngdoh guidelines, university notifications, court orders or other applicable directions.
They argued that the requirement effectively made adult students dependent on parental consent to participate in the electoral process. Concerns were also raised regarding students who are financially independent or whose parents or guardians may be unwilling to assume the financial liability.
During the hearing, the Court remarked on the disorder and damage allegedly witnessed on college campuses during election periods, observing that the condition of college walls after elections is often “pitiable”.
Delhi University defended the requirement, stating that the surety was intended to ensure that a financially solvent person could compensate the university if a candidate violated the undertaking or caused damage to university property.
Justice Singh ultimately disposed of the petition while clarifying that the Rs 1 lakh surety could be furnished by anyone, including a guardian, who has the financial capacity to undertake the liability.
The Court’s clarification comes after a coordinate Bench had, last year, held that candidates contesting the 2025 DUSU elections were not required to deposit the Rs 1 lakh bond.
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