HC: Hold Ducsu election within 6 months

The High Court has ordered the Dhaka University authorities to organize an election to its central students’ union Ducsu. In its observation on Wednesday, the court said the students were deprived of their democratic rights as Ducsu polls were not held for a long time. The last Ducsu election was held on June 6, 1990. Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan’s bench delivered the verdict over a ruling issued on the Ducsu polls. Manzill Murshid, who represented the plaintiffs, said the court had also observed that not holding the election had deprived the Dhaka University students of their legal rights. The court has ordered the university authorities to take necessary steps to organize the Ducsu polls. Manzill Murshid has served the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, proctor, and treasurer legal notice on behalf of 31 students on March 11, 2012, to take steps to hold the polls. As the university did not reply to the notice, a writ petition was filed on behalf of 25 students the same year. On April 8 that year, the High Court issued a ruling asking why the failure to organize the Ducsu polls should not be declared illegal. The education secretary, Dhaka University VC, treasurer, registrar, and proctor were made defendants. The Ducsu rule mandates holding an election every year but the university authorities did not take steps to organize the polls after 1990.This article was first published on banglatribune.com