The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor (VC), Santishree D Pandit, nullified the varsity's student union, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) saying that JNU does not have an officially notified students union as the matter is subjudice, reported PTI. She also said that the administration is committed to holding the students' union elections in accordance with the Lyngdoh committee recommendations.
The VC's announcement comes after the JNUSU on Monday, January 15, had announced that it would hold a demonstration outside the Dean of Students (DoS) office over the delay in holding the elections, as the last elections were held way back in 2019.
JNUSU to protest for elections
The students union has given a call to 'gherao' the DoS office on Wednesday, January 17 demanding that election dates be notified immediately. The JNUSU, in a joint statement, said that the JNU VC is delaying the elections and despite repeated appeals, she is reluctant to meet the JNUSU delegation which was scheduled on January 15.
"On meeting the other officials including Rector, DoS, and Chief Proctor, no concrete period for election was given to the delegation and the tactic to delay the elections was clear," the JNUSU said in a statement, asking the student community to join the protest.
They also demanded that rustication orders and the proctorial inquiries against the students protesting on the campus must be revoked and the persisting infrastructural issues be addressed as soon as possible.
Lyngdoh Committee
According to Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, the union elections should be conducted within six to eight weeks from the commencement of the semester. Currently, JNU PhD admissions are delayed due to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) exams, and are underway with the process expected to continue till the first week of February.
The JNU VC told PTI that the student union elections are not halted but they are following the rules set by the Lyngdoh Committee and the university does not have a student union currently as the matter is in court.
The university administration had also informed earlier that the JNUSU elections will be conducted after the PhD admissions conclude.
