Several Rajya Sabha members, academics and student representatives have backed calls for Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit to be removed, as allegations over faculty recruitment and university administration deepen.
The demand was raised at a press conference organised by the JNU Teachers’ Association and JNU Students’ Union at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on Thursday. Participants sought an independent, time-bound investigation into appointments made during Pandit’s tenure and questioned the role of university bodies involved in recruitment.
Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Singh, John Brittas and V Sivadasan were among those attending the event. Other participants included former Federation of Central Universities Teachers’ Associations president Nandita Narain, former Delhi University professor Laxman Yadav, Democratic Teachers’ Initiative convener Uma Gupta, AISA national president Neha and JNUSU president Aditi Mishra.
The controversy centres on allegations that candidates rejected by subject-expert screening committees because they did not fulfil mandatory University Grants Commission eligibility conditions were subsequently returned to the recruitment process. JNUTA has claimed that at least seven faculty appointments were made in violation of UGC norms.
The association alleged that the university’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell altered shortlists after screening committees had completed their work. It said candidates had been reinstated without approval from the original committees or recorded reasons explaining the changes. Objections raised by teachers’ representatives on the university’s Executive Council were also allegedly disregarded.
JNUTA has questioned whether the IQAC possesses statutory authority to insert, remove or reinstate candidates after academic screening committees have determined eligibility. The teachers’ body said it raised questions about the IQAC, recruitment procedures and Career Advancement Scheme cases with university officials in May but had not received promised responses after about 100 days.
The university administration has rejected the allegations, describing the recruitment controversy as a politically driven campaign based on selective interpretation of UGC rules and JNU procedures. It maintained that recruitment was fair and followed established processes.
JNU said candidates were chosen on merit by multi-member selection committees comprising subject experts, a Visitor’s nominee, the dean and the vice-chancellor. It also disputed claims that the IQAC determined final appointments, saying the body verified qualifications and publication claims but did not make selections at interviews.
The administration said more than 400 interviews had been conducted and over 200 positions filled since February 2022, when Pandit took office. It also said no candidate had complained about the interview process.
The teachers’ and students’ organisations are seeking a Visitorial, judicial or court-monitored inquiry covering faculty recruitment, promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme, the IQAC’s functioning and decisions subsequently approved by the Executive Council. They also want recruitment documents, screening records and appointment files preserved and disclosed.
JNUTA has additionally called for an independent audit of faculty recruitment conducted since February 2022 and wants Pandit to step aside from matters falling within any investigation. The association has sought removal of IQAC director P R Kumaraswamy from recruitment and promotion-related responsibilities while an inquiry is conducted.
The organisations have also broadened their allegations to include non-teaching appointments, contractual arrangements and security services. Around 370 security guards had complained that they were asked to pay ₹40,000 each when their contractor changed, an allegation cited at Thursday’s press conference as requiring investigation.
JNUTA said it had written four times to President Droupadi Murmu, the university’s Visitor, between September 2025 and April 2026 seeking intervention. The latest charter of demands has also been submitted to members of Parliament with a request that the controversy be raised in Parliament.
Pressure on Pandit has been building for months. JNUSU and JNUTA released a public inquiry report in April after proceedings held in March, alleging administrative wrongdoing and calling for her removal. The exercise was organised by the two bodies as a protest mechanism rather than a statutory inquiry, and Pandit did not participate in those proceedings.
The organisations have also revived questions about Pandit’s earlier tenure at the University of Pune. Documents concerning a disciplinary proceeding have been cited by her critics while demanding scrutiny of the process through which she was appointed JNU vice-chancellor in February 2022. Pandit has previously disputed allegations surrounding her record and challenged critics to substantiate their claims.
