GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday stayed the operation of the October 3, decision concerning the candidature of Nayan Akash Bora for the post of General Secretary of the Gauhati University Postgraduate Students’ Union (PGSU) for 2026-27. The court directed that no result for the post be declared or implemented and that no candidate be allowed to assume office until the next hearing.
ALSO READ: Actor Imran Khan Asked to Leave India Days After Joining Anti-CEC Protest
The interim order restrains the university authorities and other concerned parties from acting upon or implementing the impugned decision insofar as it concerns Bora’s candidature. The court further directed that if any result or consequential order regarding the post had already been issued, its operation and implementation would remain in abeyance.
The order directly affects Madhurjya Plabon Talukdar, an ABVP-backed candidate who was declared elected unopposed to the general secretary’s post after Bora’s nomination was rejected. Talukdar, or any other person, cannot assume office or discharge the functions of the general secretary until the next date fixed by the court.
However, the court expressly clarified that its interim order would not affect the election results, implementation of results or functioning of office-bearers for any other post in the students’ union.
The court has also directed the concerned parties to preserve all original and electronic records related to the dispute and produce them before it if required. These include Bora’s nomination forms and scrutiny records, election notifications concerning the disputed post, appellate proceedings and the notification dated September 27, 2026. Records relating to the constitution and proceedings of the Grievances Redressal Committee (GRC), including its minutes, deliberations and hearing records, have also been covered by the direction.
The dispute began during the scrutiny of nominations for the PGSU election. On September 24, the university’s election tribunal recommended that Bora’s nominations for the posts of president and general secretary not be considered.
The tribunal cited his simultaneous enrolment in the departments of Folklore Studies and Women’s Studies, stating that it violated the university’s admission ordinance and University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on simultaneous enrolment in two academic programmes.
Following the rejection of Bora’s nomination, Talukdar was declared elected unopposed to the general secretary’s post.
Bora, who was backed by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), and his supporters subsequently staged protests on the university campus. Bora also launched a hunger strike, demanding that the university disclose the reasons for rejecting his nomination.
Gauhati University stated that Bora had submitted appeals on September 25 and 26, following which an appeal hearing committee was constituted on September 26 after legal consultation. The university 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. Students later staged protests demanding justice for Talukdar. The suspension of the general secretary and social service secretary posts was subsequently linked to an attempt by a group of students to obstruct the vote-counting process, prompting university authorities to call the police.
With the High Court’s latest interim order, the dispute over the general secretary’s post remains unresolved pending the next hearing. The court’s directions are limited to the disputed post, allowing elected representatives to other positions in the PGSU to continue their duties.
