JNU Vice Chancellor Urges Students To Balance Politics And Academics Amidst Controversies

Jawaharlal Nehru University's Vice Chancellor, Santishree D Pandit, has cautioned students against compromising their academic pursuits for political activities amidst recent controversies surrounding strict measures against campus protests. Pandit highlighted that although protests are permissible, students should not put their academic commitments at risk, as engaging in politics may lead to the need for extensions, potentially impacting their future job prospects.

She conveyed in an interview with PTI that nobody is saying not to protest, but at the same time, your academics should not be compromised. Many students involved in politics later approach me seeking extensions, and this reflects in their job profiles.

Pandit, who assumed the Vice Chancellor role in 2022, mentioned the withdrawal of proctorial inquiries against students who participated in the 2019 fee hike protest to safeguard their career prospects. She underscored the importance of students expressing their freedoms responsibly. The administration has released a revised Chief Proctor Office (CPO) manual outlining penalties for specific actions on campus, including fines for protesting in prohibited areas and raising anti-national slogans.

According to the revised CPO manual released in November 2023, fines of up to Rs 20,000 can be imposed for protesting in prohibited areas on campus, and Rs 10,000 for raising anti-national slogans.

She addressed criticism against the manual that they have not increased the slabs for fines in the (revised) CPO manual. Most of the fines mentioned in the manual are for incidents such as obstructing varsity officials from performing their duties or manhandling them or for drinking (alcohol) or for overspeeding on the campus.

Pandit noted a reduction in unlawful activities during her tenure and explained that some proctorial inquiries cannot be reversed due to ongoing legal processes.