Election of students union in Medical College/Institution/University Regulations, 2009

4. Conduction of Election in Medical College/Institution/University across the Country

4.1. Medical College/Institution/University across the country shall ordinarily conduct elections for the appointment of students to student representative bodies. These elections may be conducted in the manner prescribed.

4.2. Where the atmosphere is adverse to the conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections, the Medical College/Institution/University authorities shall initiate a system of student representation based on nominations. It would be advisable, however, not to base such nomination system on purely academic merit.

4.3. In cases where elections are not being held, or where the nomination model prevails, the nomination model should be allowed to continue for a transitory period.

4.4. Each Medical College/Institution/University shall over a period of 5 years, convert from the nomination model to a structured election model.

4.5. All Medical College/Institution/University shall conduct a review of the student representation mechanism. The first review may be conducted after a period of 2 years of the implementation of the mechanism detailed above, and the second review may be conducted after the 3rd or the 4th year of implementation. The primary objective of these reviews will be to ascertain the success of the representation and election mechanism in each individual institution, so as to decide whether or not to implement a full-fledged election structure. Needless to say these reviews will be based on a consideration of the views and suggestions of all stakeholders, such as students, faculty, administration, student bodies, and parents.

4.6. Each Medical College/Institution/University shall, as a primary objective, subject to the pertinent issue of discipline on campus, seek to implement a structured system of student elections by conclusion of a period of 5 years from the date of the notification of this Regulation.

4.7. Subject to the autonomy of the universities in respect of the choice of the mode of election, all Medical College/Institution/University shall institute an apex student representative body that represents all students, colleges, and departments coming under the particular university. In the event that the university is geographically widespread, individual colleges may constitute their own representative bodies, which would further elect representatives for the apex universities body.

4.8. The representative body so elected shall only comprise of regular students on the rolls of the institution. No faculty member, nor any member of the administration shall be permitted to hold any post on the executive of such representative body, nor shall be allowed to be a member of any such representative body.