In a decisive move, the Bombay High Court directed the University of Mumbai to hold its senate elections on September 24, overruling a state government circular that had indefinitely postponed the elections. The ruling followed a special hearing convened by a division bench consisting of Justices A S Chandurkar and Rajesh Patil, who initially considered maintaining the original schedule for September 22 but adjusted the date due to logistical concerns raised by the university.
The controversy began when the state government issued a last-minute circular under Rule 8(7) of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, pausing the scheduled elections. This intervention prompted election aspirants Milind Satam, Shashikant Zore, and Pradeep Sawant to challenge the circular, leading to the court’s urgent review.
In court, the university’s representatives, senior counsel Anil Sakhare and advocate Manish Kelkar, highlighted the practical difficulties of organizing the elections on such short notice. Acknowledging these challenges, the High Court agreed to a slight delay, setting the new date to ensure adequate preparations.
Polling is now slated to occur from 9 AM to 5 PM on September 24, with the counting of votes to follow on September 27. The elections, crucial for filling ten senate seats for registered graduates, have been pending for two years amid allegations of discrepancies and undue state interference.
These elections were initially scheduled for September 13, 2023, but were suspended after the government called for an inquiry into alleged duplicated entries on electoral rolls. Despite the ongoing inquiry, which the court did not stay, the judges emphasized the importance of proceeding with the elections to avoid further delays.
