According to a Right To Information (RTI) reply received by the Times of India, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has fined students totalling over Rs 18 lakh in the past six years for violating university norms and participating in protests, as stated in a report by News18. This amount is nearly four times the annual undergraduate tuition fee at JNU.
As a publicly funded institution, JNU charges just Rs 410 per year for most undergraduate (UG) programmes. In 2024, the university admitted 1,209 students across 10 undergraduate courses, generating approximately Rs 4.95 lakh in total tuition fees. However, the enforcement of strict disciplinary measures, particularly by the Chief Proctorial Office (CPO), has led to significantly higher collections through fines.
In December 2023, JNU introduced a new disciplinary manual outlining penalties for protests, raising slogans deemed “anti-national,” and holding sit-ins in restricted areas. The fines can reach up to Rs 20,000 per student, adding to the long-standing controversies surrounding the university’s approach to student activism.
The RTI data revealed that Rs 3.5 lakh in fines were imposed in 2019, followed by Rs 40,000 in 2020 and Rs 3.8 lakh in 2022. After the CPO manual came into effect in 2023, the total fines surged to Rs 5.5 lakh, before slightly decreasing to Rs 2.5 lakh in 2024.
JNU students had previously protested against a hostel fee hike in 2019, leading to widespread disciplinary action. However, in 2023, the vice-chancellor announced that fines imposed on students involved in the 2019 protests would be revoked.
Under JNU’s rules, students who fail to pay fines risk expulsion, being barred from classes, or being prohibited from participating in university activities. The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) has strongly opposed the CPO manual, demanding its repeal and even staging a 17-day hunger strike in protest.
