The Delhi High Court today refused to hear a plea of a students' body of Delhi University seeking allotment of ballot numbers to candidates by draw of lots for the students union (DUSU) elections.
A bench of Justice Manmohan refused the relief sought by two DU students and the Left outfit -- All India Students Union (AISA) -- saying it will not hear the plea now.
The judge, however, said that they can approach the court after the election.
The election is scheduled for September 12. Candidates are required to file their nominations by September 3.
The court was hearing a petition filed against the Chief Election Officer of DU in which AISA alleged that candidates, whose names appeared on the top of the list under the current system of allotment of ballot in alphabetical order, were getting "unfair advantage" in the elections.
"Article 14 of the Indian Constitution states that the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth," the petition said.
It said "the allotment of a ballot number determines the position of a particular candidate on the electronic voting machine".
The petition said, "Candidates whose names appear first in the list of candidates on the EVM stand a higher chance of winning as there exists a significant number of voters who, being either unsure of whom they wish to vote for or being unaware of the relative merits or demerits of the various candidates, vote for the candidate whose name appears on the top of the list by default.
