The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has demanded the immediate removal of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and an independent probe into alleged corruption and irregularities in faculty recruitment at the university.
The students’ body has also sought a halt to ongoing recruitments under Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) director P.R. Kumaraswamy and demanded his removal from the position. The allegations have added to the continuing confrontation between sections of students and teachers and the JNU administration.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, JNUSU called for a time-bound judicial or court-monitored independent inquiry into faculty recruitments carried out during Pandit’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor.
The union alleged that recent reports about the recruitment process had raised serious questions over the manner in which candidates were shortlisted and selected for faculty positions.
Among the allegations cited by the students’ body were claims that some candidates were brought back into the selection process despite having been rejected by subject experts for allegedly failing to meet mandatory University Grants Commission eligibility requirements.
JNUSU alleged that there had been manipulation of shortlists and administrative interference in recruitment and demanded that relevant records be made public. These remain allegations and have not been established through an independent inquiry.
The students’ union demanded that all ongoing recruitment processes under Kumaraswamy be stopped until the allegations are investigated.
JNUSU also sought his immediate removal as IQAC director and called for scrutiny of faculty appointments made during the incumbent Vice-Chancellor’s tenure.
The union argued that the allegations concerned the credibility of the university’s academic appointments and therefore required an investigation independent of the existing administration.
The controversy follows media reports alleging irregularities in JNU’s faculty recruitment process, which have prompted demands for greater transparency from both students and teachers.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has also sought the Vice-Chancellor’s removal and an independent, time-bound investigation into alleged irregularities in faculty recruitment and promotions.
The teachers’ body has alleged that the concentration of administrative powers in the Vice-Chancellor’s office has affected not only recruitments but also promotions, appointments to administrative positions and academic decision-making.
The parallel demands from JNUSU and JNUTA have intensified pressure on the university administration to respond to the allegations.
The recruitment controversy comes amid continuing tensions between the JNU administration and sections of the campus community.
Pandit, who became JNU’s first woman Vice-Chancellor in 2022, has faced protests over a range of administrative and campus issues during her tenure.
The latest dispute, however, centres specifically on the integrity of faculty appointments and whether established eligibility and selection procedures were followed.
With both the students’ and teachers’ bodies now seeking an independent investigation, the recruitment row is likely to remain a major issue on the JNU campus. The immediate demands include the Vice-Chancellor’s removal, suspension of the recruitment processes under scrutiny and disclosure of records that could establish how candidates were shortlisted and selected.