Hold Ducsu election

The High Court yesterday directed the Dhaka University (DU) authorities to hold Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu) election at a suitable time, preferably within six months.

The court also ordered the home ministry to provide necessary assistance to the authorities to maintain law and order for holding the election.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan delivered the directive following a writ petition filed by 25 DU students.

The grounds on which the HC delivered the verdict could not be known instantly as its full text was not released yesterday.

Attorney General (AG) Mahbubey Alam, the lawyer for DU, following the delivery of the HC verdict told reporters at his office that the DU authorities will decide on holding of the Ducsu election.

If instructed by the DU authorities, an appeal will be moved before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the HC verdict, he added.

In March, 2012, 25 DU students filed the writ petition seeking directive from the HC for holding the Ducsu election immediately.

Following the petition, on April 8 the same year, the HC issued a rule upon the government and the DU authorities to explain why they should not be directed to hold the Ducsu election immediately.

The court also asked the DU authorities to explain why their failure to hold the Ducsu election on time should not be declared illegal.

During hearing on the rule on Tuesday, the writ petitioners' counsel, Advocate Manzill Murshid, told the HC that the senate of DU does not have any elected student representative from the Ducsu since the election to the Ducsu has not been held for many years. Hence, the students of DU have been deprived of their democratic rights.

The DU lawyer, AG Mahbubey Alam, on the other hand opposed the writ petition, saying that the DU authorities will hold the Ducsu election at a time convenient to them.

The last election to the Ducsu took place 27 years ago, on June 6, 1990. Student organisations, especially the left leaning ones, had demanded the holding of the polls numerous times.