The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has announced a “Month of Protests” starting tomorrow, May 8, 2025, in response to what it describes as the continuing authoritarianism of the university administration and the “systematic harassment” of faculty members.
In a strongly worded press statement issued today, Wednesday, May 7, JNUTA accused Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and JNU administration of using faculty promotions and confirmations under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) as “tools for victimisation.”
The association alleged that several faculty promotions have been pending for extended periods, some unjustly rejected, while others have faced illegal extensions of their probation periods — moves JNUTA calls “humiliating” and devoid of any professional merit.
“These are not reflections on the abilities of the faculty concerned. They are symptoms of the malaise that has afflicted JNU, where academic wellbeing, gender justice, and social equity are clearly not administrative priorities,” the statement added.
To launch their protest, JNUTA will begin with a mass delegation to the Dean of the School of Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies (SLL&CS) on May 8. The protests will continue in the following weeks across other schools, including Social Sciences (SSS), International Studies (SIS), Life Sciences (SLS), Computer and Systems Sciences (SC&SS), and Biotechnology (SBT).
JNUTA has also raised concerns about the role of deans in these issues, stating that their positions on selection committees, the Executive Council, and in confirmation processes make them complicit in faculty victimisation — whether through active participation or passive compliance.
It further pointed to violations within the functioning of specific schools, highlighting that the Board of Studies in the School of Social Sciences has not met in over two and a half years, allegedly leading to the denial of promotions for three “extremely deserving” faculty members.
As part of the ongoing protest, JNUTA also plans to approach the offices of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) Chairperson, the registrar, and ultimately the vice-chancellor.
The association has urged the university administration to engage in meaningful dialogue to resolve the issues.
“The JNUTA remains prepared to take the struggle forward should this hope not materialise,” the statement concluded.
