The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) has been one of the country’s most important student organizations. Its early history is full of interesting events.
The history of this student union begins a few days before India gained independence, on Aug. 6, 1947. The university students informed the then vice-chancellor and the executive committee that they wanted to create a representative body of their own.
The committee that gave policy-level approval for this appointed a committee to draft the bylaws for the association. Following this, once the association was formally established, the executive committee also decided to provide a small grant of Rs. 150 for its initial expenses.
This decision, taken shortly before midnight on August 15, 1947, was the first step toward becoming the great student organization that attracts national attention today.
In the early years, both the functioning and financial situation of this association remained challenging. Having received a grant of Rs. 500 in 1953, the executive committee advised that the association should quickly become self-reliant.
In March 1954, this association’s income had increased to Rs. 815 and its expenditure to Rs. 1,995. It was during the same period that a set of rules was framed for the university and, for the first time, an election was also held. The Vice-Chancellor, who set up an ad hoc committee to manage the association until the next academic year, also approved a grant of up to Rs. 1,100 to cover expenses.
Structural change: Nearly twenty years later, on Aug. 2, 1973, the DUSU structure was reorganized. For this purpose, interim rules were introduced and restrictions were imposed on the use of funds.
At that time, the university vice-chancellor was appointed as the patron of this association. A guide and a treasurer were appointed from among the teachers. The student union rules provided for students to directly elect four key office-bearers—president, vice-president, secretary, and joint secretary—through a majority vote.
For decades, the annual subscription fee for the Delhi University Students’ Union remained just Rs. 5 (until 2012-13). This amount was increased to Rs. 20 in the 2013-14 academic year and was last raised to Rs. 40 on June 21, 2024.
In its early days, this organization was formed with a subsidy of Rs. 150, and today it has grown into a platform that has produced many leaders who play important roles in public life.