Supreme Court Upholds Age Regulation in JNUSU Elections

The Supreme Court dismissed a student's challenge against the rejection of her nomination for the JNUSU elections, maintaining the age limit of 25 years for candidates. The student argued her case based on delayed elections due to COVID-19. The court upheld the age regulation, and elections are scheduled for April 25.

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea from a student challenging her barred candidacy in the upcoming Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) elections. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ruled to uphold the regulation that prevents candidates above 25 years of age from contesting in the elections.

The student, Rithu Anubha C, argued that had the JNU administration conducted the polls in September, she would have been eligible to contest. She cited the J M Lyngdoh committee's guidelines which suggest elections should occur within six to seven weeks of the academic year's start. The delay, attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in her disqualification.

Despite the plea, the bench emphasized that many universities postponed elections due to the pandemic, and this does not warrant a reversal of the age limit. The JNUSU elections are set for April 25, with 250 nominations for school councillor roles and 165 for central panel posts already submitted. Voting will occur in two phases, and results are anticipated by April 28.

(With inputs from agencies.)