GUWAHATI, Oct 15: The Gauhati High Court has stayed the operation of its October 3 direction concerning the general secretary’s post in the Gauhati University Postgraduate Students’ Union (PGSU) election for 2026-27, directing that the result must neither be declared nor implemented until the next hearing.
The court also barred any candidate from assuming office as general secretary during the interim period. The order followed a petition filed by Nayan Akash Bora, whose candidature for the post has been disputed.
The direction affects Madhurjya Plabon Talukdar, an ABVP-backed candidate who was declared elected unopposed after Bora’s nomination was rejected. The court clarified that the stay was limited to the general secretary’s post and would not affect elected office-bearers in other positions.
The dispute began during scrutiny of nominations for the students’ union election. On September 24, the university’s election tribunal recommended that Bora’s nominations for the posts of president and general secretary be rejected, citing his simultaneous enrolment in the departments of Folklore Studies and Women’s Studies.
The tribunal said the enrolment violated the university’s admission ordinance and University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on pursuing two academic programmes simultaneously. Talukdar was subsequently declared elected unopposed to the general secretary’s post.
Bora, who was backed by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), and his supporters staged protests on the campus. Bora also launched a hunger strike, demanding that the university disclose the reasons for rejecting his nomination.
The university said Bora had submitted appeals on September 25 and 26, following which an appeal hearing committee was constituted on September 26 after legal consultation. It also raised concerns over his simultaneous enrolment in two postgraduate programmes under the fee-waiver category.
The controversy intensified after the university suspended the general secretary’s post, prompting students to protest in support of Talukdar. The suspension of the general secretary and social service secretary posts later became linked to an attempt by some students to obstruct vote counting, leading the authorities to call the police.
With the High Court’s latest order, the general secretary’s post remains unresolved pending the next hearing, while the union’s other elected representatives can continue to function.
