Journalism of Courage
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) released a report titled “JNU: The State of the University”, highlighting what it describes as a deepening governance crisis, falling representation of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, and irregularities in faculty appointments.
No immediate response was available from the university over the allegations. The report said over the last 10 years, the JNU has shifted away from its academic ethos towards what it called a “vice chancellor-centric” model of functioning.
“In the last one decade, the terms ‘governance’ and ‘leadership’ have been turned on their heads to acquire rather ominous meanings. From being a ‘public’ institution in which the quest for knowledge thrives, the university has been steadily pushed in the direction of being reduced to being an expression of the vice chancellor’s persona,” the report said.
It took note of the discontinuation of the long-standing system of rotation by seniority for appointing chairpersons and deans. “The practice of discretionary appointments continues to be operational in JNU,” it read, adding that several professors have been bypassed in the process.
Citing concerns over recruitment, the report said of the 326 vacancies for which selection committees were formed between February 2022 and August 2025, only 184 resulted in appointments, while for 133 posts, “no suitable candidate” was found.
The report also flagged a worrying decline in the number of SC and ST students, noting that between 2021-22 and 2024-25, the number of SC students dropped from 1,500 to 1,143 and that of ST students from 741 to 545 — below the mandated reservation levels.
It further highlights a fall in research enrolments, from 5,432 in 2016-17 to 3,286 in 2024-25, and a sharp decline in academic expenditure, which fell from Rs 38.37 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 19.29 crore in 2024-25.
