Cuttack, Aug. 12: Protesting against the Ravenshaw University's decision to do away with direct elections for students' representation, the Ravenshaw Bikash Abhijan (RBA) today threatened to take the legal route if the state government did not intervene in the matter.

The vice-chancellor of the Ravenshaw University had announced on Thursday to replace the single apex body - students' union with students' councils for each of its nine schools consisting of 34 departments.

Members of the RBA, which constitutes of city-based socio-political activists and old student leaders, staged a protest at College Square and decried the move as an "arbitrary decision that defies any reason".

"We are concerned about the democratic environment in Ravenshaw. So, we want the university to continue with direct elections for students' union the interest of students," said RBA president Chittaranjan Mohanty, who was also a former president (1971) of Ravenshaw College Students' Union. The state government had yesterday fixed September 23 date for elections to students' unions in various colleges and universities.

"We have decided to seek the intervention of the state government against adoption of the alternative model of representation in the Ravenshaw University. If it yields no result, we will be left with no option but to move the court for implementation of the Supreme Court direction on students' union elections," Mohanty said.

In 2005, the ministry of human resources development had in pursuance of a Supreme Court order constituted a committee under the chairmanship of J.M. Lyngdoh to look into various aspects of the student's union election. The committee had given its recommendations and the Supreme Court while approving it had directed that all the universities should thereafter follow the recommendations scrupulously across the country.

"The Supreme Court had endorsed the recommendation of the Lygdoh Commission for a system of direct election of the office bearers of the student body under which all students of university departments vote directly for office bearers," Mohanty said.

"We are happy that several students organisations such as the All-India Democratic Students' Organisation, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and others have come together to protest against the move by Ravenshaw University authorities," the RBA president said.

However, vice-chancellor Prakash Chandra Sarangi claimed that the aim of adopting the alternative model of student's representation was to follow Lyngdoh Commission's recommendation in letter and spirit.

An official expressed hope that the students' councils in place of students' union would prevent the role of external forces, use of money power and violence in the process of election as the Lyngdoh Committee expected in its recommendations.