20 JNU students told to pay fine if they want to vote

NEW DELHI: Twenty JNU students who were penalised by the university for their role in holding an event on Afzal Guru, will not be able to cast their votes in the

NEW DELHI: Twenty JNU students who were penalised by the university for their role in holding an event on Afzal Guru, will not be able to cast their votes in the September 9 union elections till they pay the fines.

HT Image

The names of 20 students have been dropped from the voters list for the JNUSU polls.

“When the voter lists were put up today by the Election Commission of JNU, we found that our names are not included in the list. As per the standard provision, we went to the administrative officer to get our names included, but were told that they have been struck off because of fines pending against us in the February 9 incident,” former JNUSU general secretary Rama Naga said.

Three students including former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar were arrested in a sedition case filed over the February 9 event, during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. JNUSU former joint secretary Saurabh Sharma, who was the only ABVP member in the union, levelled similar allegations.

The Election Commissioner for the polls said the students concerned need to get clearance from the administrative officers (AOs) of their respective departments to get their names included in the list.

“There are laid down procedures for the same and I am legally bound to follow them. Unless the AOs give clearance I cannot include their names in the list. So they should submit their complaint or request to their respective departments,” Ishita Mana, the newly appointed CEC said.