‘A’ habit of changing names at DU the HC dislikes

The court, however, declined to pass any orders and has asked DU to consider the issue and take a decision within three months on the policy of allowing a name change.

“We are further of the view that once the candidate has changed his name, even if for the purpose of election, in the ensuing year he/she ought not be permitted to revert to the original name. They should also be ready to obtain the university leaving certificate/degree under the changed name,” the court said.

“Unfortunately, the said question, in the aforesaid perspective was not raised in the writ petition,” it noted while disposing of the petition by All India Students’ Association (AISA).

In their petition, AISA had said that a large number of voters were not committed to any particular candidate. However, AISA claimed they voted for candidates whose name appears first on the ballot paper without going through all the names.

The court, however, dismissed the plea filed by AISA, noting that the Representation of the People Act and the Conduct of Elections Rules provide for alphabetical listing of the names of candidates.

The court also said that if the university’s decision on the issue is different from the court’s, it should record the reasons in writing and convey them to AISA.