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Inquiries against JNU students dipped in 7 yrs, punishments remained steady

Between 2019 and 2025, JNU has initiated 687 proctorial inquiries against its students.

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 17, 2026 12:26 AM IST

Inquiries against JNU students dipped in 7 yrs, punishments remained steady

Data over these past seven years also shows that cases ending in punishment saw a marginal dip. (File Photo)

Earlier this month, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) rusticated its former students’ union president Nitish Kumar and four office-bearers for two semesters, barred them from entering campus, and imposed fines on them for allegedly vandalising facial recognition technology (FRT)-based access gates at the Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library during protests held last year. While such actions continue, the overall volume of proctorial cases initiated by the varsity has fallen over the years.

Between 2019 and 2025, JNU has initiated 687 proctorial inquiries against its students. Of these, 274 lead to penalties, including fines, suspensions and rustication, while 399 were closed without any action, official records accessed by The Indian Express show.

Data over these past seven years also shows that cases ending in punishment saw a marginal dip.
The year 2023 was when penalties peaked, with 61.1% of 95 inquiries ending in punishments (see box).

Inquiries against JNU students dipped in 7 yrs, punishments remained steady

The Indian Express earlier reported that in November 2023, the revised Chief Proctor Office (CPO) Manual, which laid out “rules of discipline and proper conduct of students of JNU”, was approved. As per the manual, action for “misconduct” would range from fines of up to Rs 20,000, suspension, or expulsion.

A break-up of inquiries initiated over individual years shows:

– In 2019, which saw massive protests against the hostel fee hike, 131 inquiries — the highest in the seven years — were initiated. Of these, 55 (around 42%) resulted in penalties, while the majority were closed without action.
– In 2020, amid the Covid-19 lockdown, only 13.8% of inquiries ended in punishment.
– In 2022, penalties were imposed in 45% of the 96 cases.
– In 2023, the year the university introduced the revised CPO manual, over 61% of 95 inquiries ended in penalties — the highest proportion in the seven-year period covered by the data.
– In 2025, 74 inquiries were initiated of which 42% ended in penalties.

The Indian Express reached out to the varsity’s officials through calls, messages and emails for comment but received no response.

Student leaders claimed there’s been a shift in disciplinary action after the 2023 CPO manual, which expanded the definition of misconduct and sharply curtailed spaces for protest. Former JNUSU president N Sai Balaji recalled a period when inquiry notices arrived in bulk. “During former Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar’s tenure, when student movements were at its peak, we would receive seven or eight inquiry notices in a single day,” he said.

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“That has changed. The frequency has gone down, but the intensity has increased. Rustication and suspension are now part of the spectrum,” he added.

Aditi Mishra, current JNUSU president, said, “It [CPO manual] reads like a manual to criminalise dissent. Technically, you cannot protest anywhere on campus anymore.”

She said the revised rules have also deepened a climate of fear. “It’s not that inquiries have reduced; it’s that people protesting have reduced. Students fear defamation, and even harm to future opportunities,” she said.

Nitish Kumar said the spike in inquiries around the pandemic years must be read in context. “In 2021, several students wanted to enter hostels during Covid but were not allowed to. Many broke locks to get in,” he said. “That inevitably resulted in a higher number of inquiries being initiated against students.”

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Several faculty members concurred. Surajit Mazumdar, President of the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA), said disciplinary powers were increasingly being deployed selectively.

“These measures are not about general indiscipline. They are overwhelmingly directed at student activists and protests. Monetary penalties have become a routine deterrent. When four union office-bearers are rusticated, it is not merely a punishment — it paralyses the students’ union,” he said.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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