After three of their colleagues were arbitrarily denied Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) promotions, faculty members at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) staged a protest outside the office of the Dean of the School of Social Sciences (SSS) today, Tuesday, March 11.
The protest was organised by the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA), in response to what the faculty members described as "victimisation" in the selection process for faculty promotions, particularly within the SSS.
Prof Dr Avinash Kumar, a representative of SSS, JNUTA, criticised the administration’s handling of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) promotions, stating, “We protested today demanding the dean’s resignation because he has completely failed in upholding the mandate of the JNU ordinance and act.”
He further alleged that the dean played a significant role in the victimisation of faculty members by influencing the selection of experts on the selection committee.
Allegations of targetted faculty victimisation
The JNUTA has condemned the recent denial of CAS promotions to three faculty members in the School of Social Sciences. The association asserted that the rejections were devoid of academic merit, with the affected faculty members possessing outstanding academic records.
The association also highlighted that one of the rejected faculty members was previously the Secretary of JNUTA during the 2016 crisis at JNU, making them particularly vulnerable to administrative retaliation.
According to Prof Kumar, “This is clear victimisation, a personal vendetta — nothing else.”
He also pointed out discrepancies in the selection process, stating, “All those who were rejected have their CVs available on the JNU website for evaluation. Ironically, the Dean’s own CV and publication record are not available.”
JNUTA claimed that these rejections were part of a broader pattern of institutional misgovernance, including the illegal undoing of a previously granted promotion for one of the faculty members and an unjustified three-year delay in the promotion of another.
The association also expressed concerns over the alleged “blatant rigging” of the promotion process and the instrumental role played by the Dean of SSS in ensuring unfavourable outcomes for certain faculty members.
Administrative inaction
JNUTA has further criticised the dean for not convening any meetings of the School’s Board of Studies (BoS) for nearly two and a half years, a violation of statutory provisions.
Despite repeated requests, these meetings were not held, raising questions about administrative transparency.
During discussions held on February 24, 2025, JNUTA representatives claimed that Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit acknowledged the role of the Dean in these decisions but has not followed through on her assurances to review the selection process.
Prof Kumar also pointed out the broader implications of the promotion crisis at JNU, stating, “Out of the four recent rejections, three were in the School of Social Sciences and one in the School of Languages. The rejection letters came on Friday, and the interviews were held within a month.”
This, he argued, highlighted a rushed and potentially biased process.
Faculty resistance
On Monday, faculty members voiced their concerns over the alleged arbitrary treatment of promotions and extensions of probation periods for newer faculty members.
JNUTA President Moushumi Basu and Secretary Syed Akhtar Husain addressed the gathering, emphasising the breakdown of norm-based institutional functioning at JNU.
In a statement following the protest, JNUTA asserted, “The faculty will not take this situation lying down, and the JNUTA announced that the struggle will be carried forward and continued until all teachers get justice.”
The association also called for immediate action against the dean, stating that he has lost the confidence of his colleagues and should be removed from office.
