Jawaharlal Nehru University’s teachers’ body has intensified its campaign against Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, asking President Droupadi Murmu, the Visitor of the university, to remove her from office over alleged abuse of authority and violations of institutional procedures.The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association sent its fourth letter to the Visitor on Wednesday, arguing that the governance crisis at the New Delhi-based university has worsened despite earlier representations in September and November 2025. The association said the administration had repeatedly bypassed deliberative processes, weakened statutory bodies and taken decisions that, in its view, damaged the university’s character as a public institution committed to equity.
The immediate dispute centres on a decision taken at the 327th meeting of the Executive Council to introduce a 5 per cent supernumerary admission quota for wards of regular university employees, including faculty and non-teaching staff. The quota is expected to apply from the 2026-27 academic session and would create additional seats rather than reduce the existing intake. The administration’s position has been that such seats would not affect the general admission pool and would benefit families of employees who have served the institution.
JNUTA has rejected that argument, calling the measure regressive and incompatible with JNU’s long-standing admission policy. The association said the university should instead restore and strengthen deprivation points, a mechanism that historically gave weightage to applicants from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, women candidates and students from backward districts. It linked the dilution of such provisions to a fall in women’s representation on campus, from more than 51 per cent in 2017-18 to 43.1 per cent in 2024-25.
The teachers’ body also questioned the decision-making process behind the staff-ward quota. It alleged that the committee examining the proposal met only once, did not adequately consult teachers, and offered no convincing rationale for extending such a benefit to faculty wards. Elected teacher representatives are said to have formally recorded their dissent, while JNUTA argued that council meetings under the current administration have been conducted in a hurried manner, leaving limited room for debate.
The association’s letter goes beyond the admissions dispute. It alleges misuse of the “None Found Suitable” provision in faculty recruitment, which it says has contributed to reserved posts remaining vacant. It also flagged the alleged failure to place a selection committee’s recommendation for an ST-reserved post before the Executive Council, describing it as a serious breach of procedure.
JNUTA further raised questions over the reported involvement of the Vice-Chancellor’s daughter in academic activities at the School of Engineering without a formal appointment. The association said such involvement, if established, would undermine due process and institutional transparency. The allegation adds to a wider dispute over administrative discretion, appointments, promotions, confirmations and housing allotments.
The latest letter follows earlier tensions over faculty service matters. In September 2025, JNUTA accused the Vice-Chancellor of vindictive decision-making after the termination of Rohan V H Choudhari from the Centre for Political Studies. The matter later reached the Delhi High Court, where the university said it would keep the termination in abeyance. The teachers’ association has also complained about delays in career advancement cases involving senior faculty members approaching retirement.
Pandit, who took charge on 7 February 2022, is JNU’s first woman Vice-Chancellor and an alumna of the university. Her tenure has been marked by disputes over admissions policy, internal governance, student protests and allegations of centralised decision-making. Supporters of the administration argue that several decisions, including the staff-ward quota, have passed through statutory bodies and are intended to align JNU with practices followed by other central universities.
The Vice-Chancellor has also faced protests over remarks made during a podcast in February, which student groups and JNUTA described as casteist and contrary to equity principles. Pandit has denied making comments against Dalits, saying her words were taken out of context. A section of faculty has defended her, accusing JNUTA and student groups of misrepresenting her statements and turning institutional disagreements into a campaign against her.