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JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent

These fines are now codified in a disciplinary framework: Chief Proctor’s Office Manual.

Since 2016, the university has collected over Rs 30 lakh in fines from students, records accessed by The Indian Express show.

At JNU, campus protests may have declined but disciplinary penalties have not.

Since 2016, the university has collected over Rs 30 lakh in fines from students, records accessed by The Indian Express show. This marks a shift from the suspensions, rustications and FIRs that defined the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar to a regime of financial penalties that is now the face of discipline on campus under his successor, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit.

Under Kumar’s five-year tenure (2016-2022), JNU collected Rs 22 lakh in fines (see chart), with the highest annual collection of over Rs 9 lakh recorded in 2018.

Under his successor, the pattern continues. Annual fines have ranged between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh and, midway through her term, the university has already collected over Rs 14 lakh — more than half the total amount imposed and collected during her predecessor’s entire tenure.

Express Investigation | JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty

The impact of these fines on students is stark when placed in context. For example, the maximum fine of Rs 20,000 is forty-fold the annual fee of about Rs 500 paid by a student pursuing an arts degree in the university. It is imposed for defacement of campus property, colluding in unauthorised entry, acts of violence and all forms of coercion such as gheraos, sit-ins that disrupt administrative functioning.

The JNU Students’ Union takes out a protest in November 2016, alleging inaction on the part of the administration over the disappearance of student Najeeb Ahmed. (File Photo)

These fines have now been codified in a new disciplinary framework: Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — the latest crack in the widening rift between the university’s administration and its students.

The manual, which was approved by the JNU executive council in 2023, is a detailed set of rules and penalties governing student behaviour, codifying punishments including fines, suspension, or even expulsion for acts such as staging demonstrations within 100 metres of administrative buildings, holding unauthorised gatherings or events, or protesting near university officials’ residences.

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M JAGADESH KUMAR

Apr 1 2016 - Mar 31, 2017

₹ 1,64,000

Apr 1 2017- Dec 9, 2017

₹ 4,76,075

2018

₹ 9,30,000

2019

₹ 3,50,375

2020

₹ 40,000

2021

₹ 2,45,000

TOTAL

₹ 22,05,450

SANTISHREE PANDIT

2022

₹ 3,86,550

2023

₹ 5,47,000

2024

₹ 3,33,000

2025 (upto July 3)

₹ 1,97,000

TOTAL

₹ 14,63,550

ALL FIGURES APPROX.SOURCE: RTI DATA AND JNU RECORDS

Indian Express InfoGenIE

Even informal campus events such as fresher or farewell parties held without official permission can now attract fines of Rs 6,000 or mandatory community service. At the bottom rung is a fine of Rs 500 or JNU community service for smoking in unauthorised locations.

Under Kumar’s five-year tenure (2016-2022), JNU collected Rs 22 lakh in fines (see chart), with the highest annual collection of over Rs 9 lakh recorded in 2018.

Pandit did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But she had previously defended the move, saying the manual “always existed” and was merely “fine-tuned to make it legally sound”.

But students say the manual formalises what had earlier been informal administrative control.

Nitish Kumar, the outgoing Left-backed JNUSU president, described the manual as “draconian” and sought its “repeal”. “The administration recently fined many activists close to Rs 20,0000 for their protest against a surveillance system in the Central Library. They have made this manual a medium of extortion,” he said.

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The ABVP, too, has clashed with Pandit’s administration over this issue. Last year, the RSS-backed outfit’s JNU unit opposed the manual as “dictatorial” and “anti-student.” An ABVP member, requesting anonymity, said: “JNU has always been a place where students could debate and engage freely. But this manual is an assault on that very spirit.”

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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