SC commission issues notice to JNU V-C over ‘discrimination’ in PhD admissions
The NCSC directed the V-C to submit information and action taken regarding the matter within 15 days of receiving the notice
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The complaint stated that there were instances of reserved category candidates receiving extremely low viva marks, and that this pattern raised “serious concerns” (Archive)The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on a complaint moved by a doctoral fellow alleging violation of reservation policies during the PhD admission process in 2021-22 when M Jagadesh Kumar was the V-C.
The NCSC directed the V-C to submit information and action taken regarding the matter within 15 days of receiving the notice. The commission added that it may issue summons seeking an appearance before it if no reply was received. The NCSC, a constitutional body, enjoys the powers of a civil court.
In his complaint moved before NCSC on August 11, doctoral fellow Rakhohori Bag has alleged that numerous students from Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Economically Weaker Sections were denied interview calls. This, he alleged, happened even as students from reserved categories secured higher marks than general category candidates.
Bag also alleged that for the PhD admission viva calling process, the cut-off for general category was lower than that for the reserved category, in violation of reservation norms.
Bag obtained the information on the viva calling process for the 2021-22 admissions under the Right to Information Act.
“During the 2021-22 PhD admissions, and extending throughout the tenure of the former Vice-Chancellor (Prof Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar), an illegal admission policy was systematically implemented most notably during the PhD vica-voce calling process,” the complaint stated.
Bag added that he had formally raised the issue as a student representative from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in March 2022, but claimed he was misguided and assured that no “wrongdoing was occurring”.
“This practice is not merely unconstitutional; it represents a silent killing of innocent and deserving candidates. When the final score is a sum of written (70%) and viva (30%) marks, denying the reservation policy (for written 70% marks) at the initial stage constitutes a betrayal of justice and an attempt to erase their constitutional rights,” he added.
He also alleged that during the viva-voce process itself, candidate names and categories were allegedly shared from the concerned departments to individual centres. This, he said, went against the standard process of unbiased selection.
The complaint stated that there were instances of reserved category candidates receiving extremely low viva marks, and that this pattern raised “serious concerns” about “caste-based prejudices and institutional discrimination”. The complaint called for an independent investigation, accountability, penalties and more transparency in future admission mechanisms.
When asked about the complaint, JNU V-C Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said she was not the V-C during the period in question and requested that the queries be directed at the previous administration and those involved. M Jagadesh Kumar, meanwhile, could not be reached for a comment.
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