JNUSU and JNUTA hold protest against JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar demanding reschedule of Academic Council meeting

Jawaharlal Nehru Student’s Union (JNUSU) and Jawaharlal Nehru Teacher’s Association (JNUTA) jointly held a protest in the campus on Tuesday, demanding that the Academic Council meeting should be rescheduled and convened only after the JNUSU is invited, to which it is a special invitee.

In a clear violation of university convention and ordinances, JNUSU has not been called for scheduled 149th Academic Council Meeting, which was scheduled for February 12,2019 at 3 PM.

“We are appalled at the total disregard that the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof M Jagadesh Kumar has shown with regard to the representation of the elected students union (JNUSU) in the scheduled Academic Council meeting,” said JNUSU President N Sai Balaji.

JNUSU has raised same objection before the last AC meeting, but there has been no response from the administration.

“A lie has been spread that the JNU administration has not ‘notified’ the union yet. After five months of completion of the JNUSU there is no grounds for such non-notification. JNUSU elections are conducted by the Election Committee which has declared its result on 17th September, 2018. The JNUSU has been functioning according to the mandate of the students and not that of the administration.”

JNUSU President stated that this is not the only meeting they have not been called, they are never called for any meeting by the administration. This is the fourth time in a row that the JNUSU has not been invited to the meeting.

“For instance, they (administration) has called for a Library Advisory committee Meeting on February 13, where they are going to decide to close all the reading rooms and JNUSU is not invited in that meeting.”

“JNUSU has been kept out of administrative and decision making bodies because it continues to expose the present VC’s corrupt and anti-university moves. We strongly protest this precedence that this administration has set, of keeping the student community’s voices and views outside the purview of the AC meeting,” said JNUSU President.

Among one of the major reason for demanding rescheduling of AC meeting by JNUTA is because JNU administration has not provided adequate papers to discuss the adoption of a policy of reservations for economically weaker sections.

“Agenda papers do not share any information about the sources for providing additional funds for the expansion of infrastructure and faculty and staff strength in case a 25 per cent expansion in admissions is implemented,” read a statement from JNUTA

“Without full legal appreciation of whether and how the reservation and a 25% increase in seats across the board is to be implemented and how this will interact with the CEI Act of 2006, placing the matter for discussion in the Academic Council is indeed inappropriate and does not help a comprehensive discussion on the matter.”