JNU vice chancellor unfit for post: Teachers’ body says after 5-day long ‘public enquiry’

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Enforcing the legitimacy of the public hearing, said to be first of its kind against a VC in the country, JNUTA said that this enquiry was sufficient evidence in itself that there was something seriously wrong in the university.

Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net
New Delhi, Oct 28: The five-day long ‘Public Enquiry’ by Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has found Vice Chancellor M Jagadish Kumar ‘guilty’ of all the charges laid out against him in the charge memorandum. In the enquiry that ended on Friday, the jury also suggested that in case Prof. Kumar does not step down on his own, a class-action litigation or an appeal for Visitor’s inquiry could be the route toremove him. President of India is Visitor of the central university.

The major charges that were framed against the VC included repeated violation of statutory provisions and obligations, undermining watchdog body GSCASH (Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual Harassment), having a callous attitude towards student Najeeb Ahmad who went missing from the campus over a year ago, violating faculty selection process & reservation policy in admissions and also harassing teachers including denying their legitimate dues.

Reading out the verdict, JNUTA president Ayesha Kidwai said that the VC was reminded of the fact that the students and members of the staff of the university are a much more permanent component of the university than the VC.

“VC was also found wanting in his responsibility to not only ensure adherence to statutory provisions but also that of ensuring that the University function on the basis of a sense of community which represented the diversity of our country and which required it to function with a “ethico-legal” framework,” she read while pronouncing the verdict in the campus.

Kidwai further read, “It was observed that a person who is a member of the UGC and often uses its regulations as his weapons of destruction was violating these regulations themselves and the UGC’s code of professional ethics.”

A week before initiating the ‘Public Enquiry’ on Monday, JNUTA had sent the chargsheet to the VC on 17th October but after not getting any response from him, the public hearing process was started. On four consecutive days of the hearing, various charges were discussed and argued by the jury comprising of distinguished academicians, lawyers, journalists and renowned public figures. Since VC was not present in the hearing, a defense was prepared from the various statements he had issued related to the issues in question and was read out to the jury.

Enforcing the legitimacy of the public hearing, said to be first of its kind against a VC in the country, JNUTA said that this enquiry was sufficient evidence in itself that there was something seriously wrong in the university.

In closing remark JNUTA stated that it conducted this ‘Public Enquiry’ since JNU is a public institution, funded by the taxes that the people of India pay, which must be run in accordance with the framework, laid down by the JNU Act. It places all the proceedings and the results of this inquiry before the public for its own verdict – and urge upon the representatives of this public to consider what this inquiry has highlighted seriously and to act before it is too late.

However JNUTA will place all the observations and the complete final report before the JNUTA GB, the competent authority which initiated this ‘Public Enquiry’, for necessary consideration and action soon.

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