The Delhi High Court has issued a notice on a PIL demanding 50% reservation for female students in Delhi University’s student union elections, citing disproportionately low representation and a hostile environment for women candidates.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking 50 per cent reservation for female students in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections and student union elections across colleges affiliated with the University of Delhi.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice-designate Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice in the matter. The petition has been filed by advocate and former Delhi University student Shabana Hussain, who has sought directions to the University of Delhi to introduce 50 per cent reservation for women on a rotational basis in DUSU and College Students’ Union elections. Advocate Ashu Bidhuri appeared for the petitioner.
Arguments in the Petition
The plea contends that despite female students constituting around 53 per cent of Delhi University’s student population, their representation in elected student bodies has remained disproportionately low. According to the petition, only eight out of 32 elected DUSU representatives between 2013 and 2024 were women, while there has been no woman DUSU President since 2009.
The petition further states that since the commencement of DUSU elections in 1954, only 10 out of 68 Presidents have been women. It argues that the continued under-representation reflects a structural disparity in the University’s student electoral system.
The PIL alleges that the prevailing election environment, including the alleged use of money and muscle power, violence, intimidation, sexist remarks, cyber-bullying and social media trolling, discourages female students from contesting student elections. It further highlights that inadequate representation of women in elected student bodies affects the representation of issues concerning female students, including sexual harassment, safety and security, hostel facilities, curfew timings, sanitary facilities and other gender-specific concerns.
Previous Directives and Relief Sought
The petition also points out that Shabana Hussain had earlier approached the Delhi High Court in 2024 seeking similar relief. On September 11, 2024, the High Court had directed the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University to decide her representation seeking 50 per cent reservation, preferably within three weeks.
However, the present plea alleges that despite the earlier court direction, no final decision has been taken by the University and the issue has continued to remain under consideration.
The petitioner has also relied upon recommendations of Delhi University’s DUSU Election Reforms Committee, which, according to the plea, suggested reservation for women on a rotational basis for one office-bearer post to improve gender parity in the electoral process.
Seeking judicial intervention, the PIL has prayed for directions to reserve 50 per cent of seats for female students in DUSU elections on a rotational basis and to implement a similar policy in student union elections across all colleges affiliated with Delhi University. The matter comes ahead of the DUSU elections for the 2026-27 academic session, scheduled to be held on September 18. (ANI)
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