{
  "id": 8047106,
  "title": "'Democracy Cannot Be Converted Into A Criminal Society': Delhi HC Warns Over DUSU Violence, May Halt Vote Counting",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/democracy-cannot-be-converted-into-a-criminal-society-delhi-hc-warns",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-17T14:47:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/democracy-cannot-be-converted-into-a-criminal-society-delhi-hc-warns-over-dusu-violence-may-halt-vote-counting"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Delhi High Court issued a stern warning on Thursday that it may step in and halt the voting and announcement of results for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections if authorities fail to curb alleged violence and hooliganism. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, emphasized that \"democracy cannot be converted into a criminal society.\" The court directed Delhi University, police, and the Delhi government to provide reports by Friday outlining their actions in response to the issues raised. The bench expressed concern over the presence of unruly elements during campaigning in the North Campus and noted that similar issues had been raised multiple times during past DUSU elections. Despite assurances from Delhi University and the police, the court found that authorities had \"almost completely failed\" to ensure a smooth election process. During the hearing, court officials questioned the ability to identify vehicles displaying DUSU candidate names, citing inconsistencies with social media accounts. The court also inquired about vehicles without registration plates and the actions taken against violators of court orders. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma stated that action would be taken against those found at fault, and an FIR had been registered. The court will review the submitted reports on Friday.",
  "summary": "New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday warned that it may stop the counting of votes and declaration of Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) election results if the authorities fail to take effective action against alleged violence, hooliganism and other violations during the election process. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia made the strong observation that…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}