The Delhi High Court seeks DU’s response over alleged DUSU victory processions, reiterating concerns over electoral violations and the use of money and muscle power.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, September 23, sought a response from Delhi University over allegations that candidates who won the 2026 Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections took out victory processions despite a court order prohibiting such celebrations.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing an application filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda, who alleged that victorious candidates violated the court’s directions following the declaration of DUSU election results on September 19. The bench issued notice to the University and observed that the matter would be treated seriously.
The court noted that all 140 candidates who contested the elections, including those who emerged victorious, had already been issued show-cause notices pursuant to its earlier directions. Manchanda was directed to compile all relevant evidence and include it in a dossier to be submitted before the court.
The proceedings follow the High Court’s September 18 directions, issued amid concerns over alleged violations of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, the DUSU Code of Conduct and other election-related norms. The court had specifically directed that candidates, students, supporters or any other persons should not organise victory processions after the results, either on Delhi’s roads or within university campuses and hostels.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the counsel representing one of the candidates submitted that post-election celebrations could be difficult to control and pointed out that even dhols had not been used this year. The court responded that drums were not the central concern. Instead, it highlighted what it described as the “show of muscle and money power” as the larger issue.
At the same time, the bench acknowledged one improvement in this year’s election process, noting that there had been no reported defacement of public property during the DUSU polls. The court, however, remarked that “much needs to be done.”
The High Court’s intervention comes amid continuing judicial scrutiny of DUSU elections. Earlier, the court had warned that violations of election rules could invite contempt proceedings and had considered the possibility of imposing electoral damages on candidates and student organisations. It had also directed Delhi Police and DU authorities to ensure compliance with its orders.
The matter is now set to proceed on the basis of the evidence compiled by the petitioner and the response submitted by Delhi University.
A gas cylinder leak reportedly caused a fire on the fourth floor of Gupta Niwas PG in Gautam Nagar, while a resident alleged fire safety lapses and the removal of videos.
A fire reportedly broke out on the fourth floor of Gupta Niwas paying guest (PG) accommodation in Gautam Nagar, Delhi, on 23 September, following a suspected gas cylinder leak.
According to a resident who spoke to DU Beat on condition of anonymity, the incident occurred between 9 and 10 am. The cause of the fire has not been officially confirmed, and it remains unclear whether anyone was injured. Workers may have been hurt, though this could not be independently verified.
There were allegedly no fire extinguishers near the cooking area, while the building reportedly lacks fire alarms and a proper fire exit. The only rear gate is also allegedly kept closed. It is unclear whether the police were called.
Videos of the fire were recorded by residents of a nearby PG accommodation. The footage was allegedly later removed, with people reportedly being asked to delete it, while burn marks in the affected area had already been painted over.
The warden reportedly did not mention the fire when asked about the incident, while parents of residents were said to have called the PG in large numbers afterwards. The resident expressed concern that the cylinder could have exploded and that the fire could have been far worse in a six-storey building, calling for basic safety measures to be put in place.
Two electrical faults were also reportedly noticed in the days preceding the fire. Burnt wires were allegedly spotted in electrical boards at around 11:45 pm on 21st September and fixed by 2 am. A similar incident reportedly occurred the following day.
At the time of publication, no statement from the PG management, the Delhi Fire Service or the police had been made available.
Image Caption: Gupta Niwas PG in Gautam Nagar in flames of the fire reported on 23 September.
The back gate area of Lady Shri Ram College For Women, DU, bustled with slogans of “Azaadi” on the evening of 23rd September, with hundreds of women joining the solidarity march that was organised to raise concerns about women’s safety following the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old minor near Aastha Kunj earlier this week.
Around 4PM, on the evening of 23rd September, hundreds of women students from various DU colleges like LSR and Gargi gathered at National Park, near the back gate of Lady Shri Ram College For Women, DU, to lead a solidarity march, raising their voices about concerns of women’s safety in the national capital of the country, especially in and around Delhi University colleges.
Despite several media channels portraying this as a solidarity march organised and participated in only by LSR students, several students present at the march have denied such claims.
“To clarify, this is not an LSR issue; this is an all-women, all-DU issue,” says a student present at the march. “When a curfew is established, it only stops women from going out; it doesn’t hinder the men from committing heinous crimes, like rape,” she further states.
Female students and faculty members from across DU Colleges join the solidarity march
The march was joined in by hundreds of women from multiple DU colleges, making it successful in raising collective concerns about inadequate CCTV surveillance and patrolling in the area, as students state that security concerns had persisted long before the recent incident. Demanding the same, chants of “Azaadi” and “Inquilab Zindabaad” filled the premises of National Park and Moolchand.
Police cars, along with abundant police forces, covered the entire area, ensuring the march remained peaceful and didn’t turn into a public disruption. However, these same police forces were also seen to stop for deliberations and negotiations with the student body regarding which path the march should take or till where they should be allowed to move forward. Despite this, the march did not come to a halt for once.
Police manned with guns observed patrolling the solidarity march
This all-women’s march saw students raising slogans and carrying posters highlighting the need for better security infrastructure around the college and its adjoining areas, as yet another rape incident brought the longstanding demand for women’s safety into focus. The posters that were carried by the students highlighted slogans like, “Moral policing women will not stop rape” and “A woman’s body isn’t a battleground for your power.”
This march is an attempt to reclaim the spaces that are overpowered by men and patriarchal people who have normalised violence against women,”
says a faculty member from LSR who also actively took part in the march.
The march, upon reaching the Pink Booth, which was inaugurated earlier this year in hopes of securing safety for women travelling by the roads nearby leading to Moolchand Metro Station, was met with a long-lasting discussion going back and forth between a few people from the march and the police forces. The spirit of the march was intact, however, as most of the students were seen to sit down, continuing with their loud, energetic chants.
The Pink Booth, though established to make women feel safer, has received heavy scrutiny from students of nearby colleges, especially LSR, ever since its establishment. The concern of the booth being mostly empty has remained a recurring complaint.
The solidarity march however, wasn’t limited just to the students of the nearby colleges. Student organisations like SFI and AISA also joined the march, while parties like ABVP were spotted at the Amar Colony Police Station spreading pamphlets to the police in an attempt to spread awareness.
Line of students spotted demanding basic security and raising concern for women’s safety
This inciting incident comes within days of sexual violence in Bihar’s Jamui district, where two juveniles were hounded by a group of masked men who tried to abduct and molest the girl on camera. NCRB data shows increasing incidents of violence against women, with a crime reported every 71 seconds.
Less than a third of cases reported result in convictions. Despite claims of “Encounter Justice” by many Chief Ministers from the BJP, including Adityanath (UP), Hemanta (Assam), Samrat Chaudhary (Bihar) and Suvendhu Adhikari (WB)—the police being ordered to shoot perpetrators before proving their guilt in courts—the rising numbers show that this has not stopped crimes against women. In fact, the majority of reported crimes are by people known to the survivor. The current regime has also famously celebrated powerful men involved in sexual violence, from Brijbhushan Singh to rapists at Kathua – Unnao – Hathras and IIT BHU, even garlanding Bilkis Bano’s rapists.
The institutional shortcomings are starkly evident in the recurring campus violence and administrative failures in DU. The reinstatement of a professor found guilty of sexual harassment at Ramjas College in 2025, the routine normalization of sexual harassment during college fests at women’s colleges, systemic harassment allegations at Bharati College in 2018, and the aggressive hooliganism and harassment targeting women during DUSU elections reiterate how unsafe university spaces remain for women and gender minorities.
As one of the posters said, “It’s not my fault I crave the night air; it’s your fault you crave taking it away from me.”
This march is not new, nor are the crimes against women. Today, the students of a central university do not feel safe around their own campus; tomorrow, we will hear headlines talking about another case where women do not feel safe inside the four walls of their own house. The perpetual oppression and violence against women have been continuing for centuries, yet the system fails them time and again, compelling them to take to the streets and reclaim spaces that were never supposed to be bound by any ownership.
The Hindu College Staff Association and students have been holding a dharna since 14th September 2026, demanding accountability from the college administration over alleged procedural violations in supernumerary admissions and a broader pattern of governance concerns.
DU Beat warmly acknowledges Scribe, the Literary Society of Hindu College, whose detailed documentation of the ongoing issue has been an invaluable reference in the reporting of this piece.
Since 14 September 2026, the Hindu College Staff Association (HCSA) and students have been sitting on a dharna on campus. The protest was triggered by alleged procedural violations in the supernumerary quota admission process in August.The association had passed a unanimous vote of No Confidence against Principal Prof. Anju Shrivastava, and in response, the Governing Body issued show-cause notices to three faculty members, including the HCSA President, Secretary and a senior faculty member. The HCSA’s demands include the withdrawal of these notices, accountability for the admissions irregularities, and adherence to statutory governance norms by the administration.
In supernumerary admissions through ECA and sports, the Bulletin of Information states that no single undergraduate programme must have more than 20% of the total supernumerary seats. However, according to Scribe, the Literary Society of Hindu College’s Substack, two courses, B.A. (Honours) Political Science and B.Com (Honours), exceeded the 20% statutory cap for a single course. The society also claims that once the TICs identified the aberration, there were procedural delays from both the Principal and the DU Dean of Admissions in rectifying the issue. The issue was credited to an algorithmic error, which the students claim is mathematically unfeasible. This has also raised questions amongst students as to whether similar irregularities may have occurred previously without detection.
On the final day of the college verification round for admissions, 14 August 2026, the Principal called for an urgent Council Meeting with the Staff Council Secretary, Dr Chandrachur Singh. The Staff Council Secretary proposed convening the next day, adducing statutes demanding a 24-hour formal notice before a meeting. Since the portal closed at 5 pm that day, the list was finalised in breach of the 20% limit. At approximately 7 pm on 14th August, a Google Meet link was circulated on the HCSA WhatsApp group by a faculty member without administrative standing, with around 50 faculty members contacted via private calls. The HCSA Secretary and Convener of Academic Affairs were reportedly not included. The consensus arrived at through this meeting was allegedly used to clear the disputed admission list.
On 18th August 2026, the HCSA convened a general body meeting attended by 80 to 85 members, representing permanent faculty across departments. The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote of no confidence against Principal Prof. Anju Shrivastava. Copies were submitted to the Vice-Chancellor, the Dean of Colleges, and Governing Body Chairman Mr T.C.A. Rangachari.
Chairman Rangachari allegedly publicly stated that he does not recognise the HCSA, a body that has existed for over seventy years. Show-cause notices were subsequently issued to three faculty members, including HCSA President Dr Ratan Lal, Secretary Dr Shankar Kumar, and senior faculty member Dr P.K. Vijayan, for alleged code of conduct violations.
The dharna has witnessed widespread participation, but the students have expressed feeling intimidated by the administration, with non-teaching staff holding up cameras in meetings meant for a dialogue between the Principal and the students.
“The dharna is going pretty strong, with many students coming up every day to support the cause. However, there seems to be a division in interest towards the protest, with many departments boycotting it. There have been alleged calls from the Administration to the parents of the students who are participating in the protest. There have been alleged claims that the professors of some departments are telling students not to take part in it. Nevertheless, the protest has brought forward several important issues, especially the tyrannical behaviour of the administration and the havoc it creates in students’ lives, and it indeed needs to be paid attention to,” a second-year student at Hindu College told DU Beat.
The admissions controversy has brought to the surface a longer-running dispute over governance at Hindu College. Under DU’s Ordinance XVIII, Clause 6(3), the Principal is required to function as “Principal-in-Council” on matters that fall within the Staff Council’s domain; meaning executive decisions on such matters cannot be taken unilaterally. Clause 6(e) of the same ordinance further mandates that the Principal implement all decisions of the Staff Council. According to the HCSA, these provisions have been routinely disregarded. The Staff Council Secretary has, by the association’s account, written over 100 letters to the Principal requesting compliance with statutory requirements, including the convening of mandatory semester meetings and the maintenance of signed minutes on record. The association alleges that these communications have gone largely unacknowledged.
The midnight Google Meet of 14th August is cited by the HCSA as emblematic of this pattern: a meeting convened without statutory notice, bypassing the elected Secretary and Convener of Academic Affairs, and used to generate consent for a decision that the faculty body had not formally deliberated upon.
Students have voiced concerns about the campus environment alongside the faculty’s governance grievances. Annual fees and on-campus hostel charges, according to students, exceed what comparable private paying guest accommodations in the area cost.
Beyond fees, students allege a pattern of administrative overreach into routine aspects of campus life. Women’s washrooms are reportedly locked at 4:00 pm, despite classes running until 4:50 pm. Security personnel allegedly clear the lawns and library at the same hour, effectively restricting student access to common spaces before the academic day has ended.
More seriously, some faculty members have alleged that students have been deployed inside classrooms to covertly record lectures delivered by faculty members associated with the protest, including Dr Ratan Lal and Dr Shankar. The HCSA has described this as an attempt to surveil and intimidate dissenting voices within the institution.
JMI has approved 13 one-year PG courses through online and distance modes, adding another NEP-linked higher education route as Delhi University’s four-year UG batch enters postgraduate study.
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has approved one-year PG courses in 13 disciplines through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online Learning (OL) modes weeks after Delhi University introduced its own one-year postgraduate programmes for students completing four-year undergraduate degrees.
The development is particularly relevant to Delhi’s current four-year undergraduate students, who are beginning to encounter new postgraduate pathways under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. However, JMI’s September 21 office order does not establish that DU students will automatically be eligible for these programmes. Eligibility and admission conditions are expected to be governed by the applicable JMI and University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.
According to the official order, the programmes will be offered through JMI’s Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE). The 11 Master of Arts programmes cover Education, English, Geography, Hindi, History, Human Resource Management, Islamic Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology and Urdu. The university has also approved one-year programmes in Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Commerce (Business Management).
The approval was issued by JMI’s Vice-Chancellor under powers exercised on behalf of the university’s Academic Council. The decision is to be placed before the Academic Council at its next meeting for ratification. JMI’s CDOE has also listed the September 21 order on its official notices page.
The move comes as the first batch of students admitted to DU’s four-year undergraduate programme reaches the postgraduate stage. For the 2026-27 academic session, DU’s one-year PG programmes are specifically designed for students who have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree under its NEP-based framework. DU’s official eligibility document states that the programmes are restricted to students completing four-year degrees from the university, subject to programme-specific requirements.
Unlike DU’s one-year PG structure, which is tied directly to its four-year undergraduate system, JMI’s newly approved programmes will be delivered through distance and online modes. The university’s 2026-27 prospectus had already identified the rollout of one-year PG programmes as part of its second phase of NEP implementation.
The two developments point to the growing presence of one-year postgraduate programmes in Delhi’s higher education landscape, while offering different routes through which universities are implementing the postgraduate provisions associated with NEP 2020.
DUTA will hold a Justice March on September 23 over teaching vacancies and the regularisation of long-serving ad-hoc faculty across 12 Delhi government-funded DU colleges.
Classes across 12 Delhi University colleges are expected to be suspended after 10 am on Wednesday, September 23, as the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) will hold a Justice March over the approval of teaching positions and the regularisation of long-serving temporary and ad-hoc faculty.
The march will begin at 10.30 am from Gate No. 1 of the University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Office and proceed towards the Lieutenant Governor’s House. DUTA plans to submit a petition to the Lieutenant Governor, taking its demands beyond the University campus and directly to the Delhi administration.
The association is demanding approval for teaching positions in the 12 Delhi government-funded colleges, along with the immediate initiation of the regularisation and absorption process for teachers who have served on temporary or ad hoc appointments for several years. According to DUTA, the vacancies and continued reliance on temporary appointments have remained a concern for the functioning of these colleges and their teaching staff. In May this year, DUTA raised similar concerns over delays in filling teaching and non-teaching positions across the 12 colleges.
The regularisation of ad hoc faculty has also previously been before the Delhi High Court. In July 2025, the Court ruled in favour of two ad-hoc Assistant Professors seeking regularisation, citing their prolonged service and the circumstances surrounding their appointments. The ruling forms part of the broader legal context around the employment status of teachers who have served for extended periods on temporary appointments.
With DUTA taking its demands to the LG House, Wednesday’s Justice March is set to bring renewed attention to the availability of teaching positions in the 12 colleges and the continued presence of temporary and ad-hoc faculty.
Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) woke up to a harrowing sight as gunshots and a police encounter near its back gate left an accused in the Astha Kunj Park sexual assault case injured in the leg, police said.
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by three men at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on the evening of 21st September. The subsequent police encounter with one of the accused took place near the back gate of Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), where the accused was allegedly shot in the leg during an exchange of fire with police.
The victim’s statement reports that three people, posing as policemen, had separated the victim from her friend, taking her towards a secluded area, and threatening her with firearms and knives, subsequently sexually raping and assaulting her.
The victim was medically examined at AIIMS, while the Crime Team and Forensic Science Laboratory team examined the alleged scene and collected relevant exhibits.
The police statement informed of action near LSR Back Gate, Amar Colony, where a trap laid by the police had been successful in intercepting one of the accused, who opened fire on the police. The press statement read,
“During the exchange of fire, one round hit the bullet-proof jacket of HC Rajesh. In self-defence, HC Rajesh fired two rounds, one of which hit the accused in his right leg. The injured accused was immediately shifted to AIlMS Trauma Centre for treatment.”
In the hours after the incident, students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi arrived in panic, having spotted policemen and heavy barricading at the Back Gate of the college, alongside reporters and a bloody investigation scene.
The LSR Students’ Union released a notification that all classes after 12:00 PM stand cancelled in light of the incident.
A video circulating on Instagram on 19 September 2026 allegedly shows a man directing sexually suggestive gestures and profane language at a Krantikari Yuva Sangathan member during DUSU elections, reportedly in the presence of police.
A video surfaced on Instagram on 19 September 2026 and has drawn widespread condemnation, showing a man directing sexually suggestive actions and abusive, sexist language at members of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) during Delhi University Students’ Union election campaigning. The video also shows a Delhi Police officer witnessing the action and hugging the harasser.
The video was posted by @legal_talks0044, an account run by Advocate Shahrukh Khan, who has posted several reels covering the DUSU elections. The post tagged @jyoti_kys, the KYS member at whom the actions were allegedly directed. In an interview with the account, Jyoti stated that she was present with a group of four to five women when the man directed sexually suggestive actions and profane, sexist language at her. She alleged that their campaign posters were torn down, and that police personnel present at the scene witnessed the incident but did not intervene. The video shows an officer subsequently hugging the man and moving him away from the group.
The identity of the man has not been established at the time of publication. No student organisation has issued a public statement, and Delhi Police has not responded to the incident publicly.
The video has prompted strong reactions in the comments. One user wrote, “İ was sitting there watching this entire incident, and honestly, I was furious seeing those girls being abused and harassed. This kind of behaviour cannot and should not be normalised on a university campus.” Other comments on the post tag the official page of Delhi Police, urging them to take action and not turn a blind eye to sexual harassment.
A Delhi University graduate got elected for the position of vice president at the International Association of Physics Students.
Anant Singh, a BSc Physics graduate from Rajdhani College, Delhi University, has been elected Vice President of the International Association of Physics Students (IAPS) for the 2026-2027 tenure. He is the first-ever Indian to get an executive position in IAPS’s history.
The International Association of Physics Students (IAPS) is a non-profit, global organization which represents physics students from around the world. It was founded in 1987 with the aim of fostering global collaboration, mutual understanding, and academic exchange among university students pursuing physics or related courses. IAPS is affiliated with major physical societies such as the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and the European Physical Society (EPS). The IAPS holds multiple events, such as its annual flagship multi-day conference known as the International Conference of Physics Students (ICPS), and international theoretical physics competitions for undergraduate and postgraduate students known as PLANCKS.
During Anant’s time at DU, he founded the Indian Network of Physics Students (INPS) and organized landmark events like AESCAP. He went on to earn a full Caltech SURF fellowship and is currently pursuing his Master’s at Université Paris Cité on a SMARTS-UP scholarship. He also spearheaded India’s successful bid to host the International Conference of Physics Students (ICPS) 2028 in Delhi, beating competitive bids from Italy and Spain.
As Singh takes the role of Vice President at the organization, it marks a monumental milestone for Indian representation in global student governance, as he has become the first-ever Indian student to hold such a position at IAPS. His achievement will help bring in valuable conferences to the country for STEM undergraduates and postgraduates, acting as powerful inspiration for students and amplifying opportunities across the country and Delhi University. His tenure is also set to coincide with India hosting ICPS 2028 in Delhi, bringing an international physics student conference to the country.
Three construction workers were killed and another critically injured after a car allegedly driven by a 20-year old student of St Stephen’s College crashed into a worksite on the Dwarka Expressway.
Three construction workers were killed and another was critically injured after a car crashed into a construction site on the Dwarka Expressway in Gurugram in the early hours of Thursday, September 17. The vehicle was allegedly being driven by a 20-year old Delhi University student, identified by police as Vedant Khanna, a student of Economics Honours at St Stephen’s College. Vedant also sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
According to Gurugram Police, the incident took place between 1:50 AM and 2:30 AM near Ram Chowk, where a group of workers was installing an iron frame along the central median. A white car travelling from Delhi reportedly crashed through the barricades at the site and struck the workers before colliding with a parked utility vehicle and coming to a stop after mounting the median. The deceased have been identified as Bijendar Singh, 58, his cousin Pappu Singh, 55, and site constructor Satish Chand, 43. Another worker, Ram Kumar, 28, was critically injured and remains in the ICU. All four workers were from Sarvana village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district and had moved to Gurugram only two days before the incident. They had been staying together in rented accommodation in Bajghera.
Jitender Kumar, Chand’s brother and another worker at the site, filed a complaint with the police. According to the complaint, the worksite had been marked with police along with reflective warning boards, barricades and trestles. Kumar told Hindustan Times that the car struck the barricades before hitting the workers and a contractor’s pickup truck. He said the impact pushed the truck forward by approximately 100 to 150 metres. The driver was also taken to the hospital following the crash. Workers at the site told police that Khanna appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. However, Gurugram Police said this had not yet been established and that blood samples had been collected for forensic testing.
The vehicles involved have been impounded. An FIR has been registered at the Bajghera Police Station under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita relating to causing death by negligence, rash, driving, endangering life or personal safety, and causing substantial property damage. Police mentioned that further investigation, including forensic reports, will determine the circumstances surrounding the crash and whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or any other substance at the time of the incident.
