JNU Student Bodies Urge V-C to Stop Ongoing Student Investigations

In a letter to the vice-chancellor, the JNUSU demanded that the new varsity manual be withdrawn and that all disciplinary actions against the students ordered by the Chief Proctor Office (CPO) be rescinded. The letter was supported by 11 members of various student outfits and hostel presidents.

The student outfits have also demanded a notification to begin the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections.

“We, the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, are writing to you to register strong protest and indignation at the series of vindictive actions initiated by the JNU administration against various elected representatives and activists,” stated the contents of the letter.

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The updated CPO handbook, which penalizes 28 different forms of misconduct at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), “militates” students’ democratic right to demonstrate their rights, the letter continued.

In response to the student’s claims, the V-C stated that while she had waived the fines imposed on several other students during the 2019 fee hike protests, investigations are currently underway for the students who were involved in rule violations as per the directives of the High Court.

“By the High Court’s ruling, students who were discovered to have broken rules have been given show cause notices. We cannot violate the court’s orders to be in contempt of court. I have released numerous students from the fines they were assessed for their 2019 fee hike protests. However, necessary action by the laws and regulations will be taken if they don’t stop breaking the rules, she told the reporter.

The vice-chancellor’s office further explained that previous instances of student rule violations will not be covered by the new regulations in the varsity handbook, which was published in November with approval from the executive council.

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“Any violation of the revised manual’s regulations that occurs after it went into effect will be dealt with by those guidelines. A senior official clarified, “The old and ongoing cases will not be examined based on the new rules.”

According to the letter, in the meantime, the student outfits have chosen to begin “non-cooperation” with the entire JNU administration if their demands are not met before the start of the winter semester in 2024.