DUSU President Ankiv Baisoya, an ABVP leader, was accused of faking his bachelor's degree.
Ankiv Baisoya, the Delhi University Student Union president who was accused of falsifying his bachelor's degree just days after winning elections to the influential body, has been asked to step down from his post by the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad. The ABVP, a student organisation linked to the ruling BJP, has also suspended him till an inquiry into the allegations.
"We have asked DUSU (Delhi University Student Union) President Ankiv Baisoya to resign from his post and also suspended him from all the responsibilities of the organisation till the inquiry is over," a statement from ABVP said. The organisation said the decision was taken to maintain the "genuineness" of Delhi University Students Union.
The move drew criticism from rival group National Students' Union of India or NSUI, linked to the opposition Congress, that the decision was taken under pressure ahead of a high court hearing in the case.
"This is an attempt to save whatever little face ABVP can. They waited for two months in an attempt to keep the DUSU presidentship with ABVP instead of asking him to step down when the matter came to light. ABVP also didn't set up any inquiry committee of its own. So, this decision at this belated hour is clearly cynical and cowardly," the National Students Union of India said.
Mr Baisoya was elected DUSU president in September. Days later, NSUI student leader Sunny Chillar moved court to get Mr Baisoya's election scrapped after news reports said the registrar of Thiruvalluvar University in Tamil Nadu had "unambiguously and unequivocally" declared his certificate "fake and forged".
The Delhi High Court on Monday gave the Delhi University more time, till November 20, to verify if Mr Baisoya's bachelor's degree from was genuine.
The court on October 30 had granted the university time till Monday to authenticate the degree and inform it as the two-month period within which re-election could be held would expire on November 13.