Seven emeritus professors of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) released a statement on Thursday accusing Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar of breaching conventions and ignoring objections of the faculty over the decisions taken by him.
Professors Anil Bhatti, Deepak Nayyar, Romila Thapar, Prabhat Patnaik, Zoya Hasan, H.S. Gill and Utsa Patnaik said they were protesting because Mr. Kumar was “acting contrary to some of the basic precedents and conventions of the administration of JNU that have in the past not only protected the academic quality of the university but have also ensured necessary academic autonomy in its functioning”.
Referring to the V-C’s alleged refusal to minute the majority resolution of the Executive Council that the existing rotation-based seniority principle in appointment of chairpersons and deans must be followed, the statement said, “No V-C has in the past repeatedly gone against procedures of functioning. This is far too arbitrary an action to be passed over lightly.” The V-C had last week superseded five senior faculty members in appointment of the Dean, School of Social Sciences. The professors said that by not adhering to conventions of the varsity, the V-C was negating the academic worth of the varsity and destroying the system of an institution that is ranked as one of the best in the country.
ADVERTISEMENT