The Kerala High Court decision quashing the amendment to rules governing the election of students’ union functionaries of Calicut University has come just a day before the authorities were planning to hold the polls on February 12.
The Division Bench asked the authorities to hold the election as per the unamended rules. However, the election scheduled for Wednesday was expected to be just a formality as the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the Muslim Students’ Federation (MSF) have boycotted the polls. It was the MSF councillors who had approached the High Court.
Meanwhile, the authorities have completed the election to the executive council.
Earlier, all the University Union Councillors elected from various aided, government, and self-financing colleges had voting rights to choose the functionaries for the students’ union.
Recently, the Syndicate decide to cut to size the voting rights of those from self-financing colleges and decided to set up an executive council from the general council of the UUCs who would elect the functionaries.
Only one among three UUCs from self-financing colleges could be part of the executive council, effectively bringing down their number. District-level councils too were formed.
The MSF and KSU, which together contest students’ union polls under the banner of the United Democratic Students’ Front, had opposed it calling it a violation of democratic rights. They had also taken out a march to the Syndicate meeting venue, which turned violent.
Now, it remains to be seen how the varsity will go about conducting the polls.
