The Tribunal of the All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has reaffirmed the results of the Union’s 2025–2027 tenure, following an extraordinary assembly held on Tuesday at Solidarity Park, Kohima. The meeting was convened by the Tribunal after disputes arose over the recently held 22nd Biennial General Conference, where some colleges and students had raised objections against certain elected candidates.
Addressing a press briefing at the ANCSU office, Tribunal General, Vimeyiekho Vitso, along with Tribunal members Imnamanen Jamir and Toito T Chishi, explained that the assembly was called under constitutional powers vested in the Tribunal Office to address complaints and clarify issues related to the election process.
According to Vitso, allegations were brought against a few of the newly elected candidates following the announcement of the election results by the Election Commission. These included questions over eligibility criteria as outlined in Article 22 of the ANCSU Constitution, which mandates that candidates must be regular students.
“The assembly held a marathon and threadbare discussion on the allegations and the overall issue,” Vitso said. “After a prolonged deliberation, we arrived at a consensus that the earlier decision of the Election Commission shall stand valid.” He informed that out of 39 affiliated colleges, 34 participated in the extraordinary assembly, and all endorsed the decision taken by the Tribunal.
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On the matter of eligibility, Vitso clarified that the Constitution allows an outgoing official who has completed a tenure as a degree or regular student to contest for one more term, provided they have the recommendation of their college and the union. He stated that the candidate accused of being ineligible had already completed a previous tenure and therefore qualified under this provision.
“The constitution also provides flexibility for such cases, especially with the transition from the annual to the semester system,” he said, adding that certain students may otherwise be unfairly deprived of the opportunity to contest due to changes in academic structures.
“In the future, ANCSU will need to re-examine and re-amend the constitution to adapt to the new academic framework,” he suggested.
Vitso clarified that the meeting was not an election but a constitutional assembly to interpret and deliberate on the matter. “Whatever decision we took was in the best interest of ANCSU, the affiliated colleges, and the student community,” he maintained.
Responding to questions about the legality of the Tribunal convening the assembly instead of the Speaker, Vitso said the step was taken after allegations were made against the Speaker for not maintaining the decorum and proceedings of the earlier conference assembly.
“Since the Speaker was alleged to have failed to uphold the proceedings, it became necessary for the Tribunal to convene the meeting. Hence, the assembly was entirely constitutional,” he asserted.
Reiterating that the Tribunal’s verdict was a consensus decision supported by 34 colleges, Vitso concluded that the Election Commission’s earlier declaration of the ANCSU 2025–2027 office bearers remains valid, adding that the Tribunal acted strictly in accordance with the union’s constitutional provisions.
