Jadavpur University staff face punishment if they criticise West Bengal govt.

Development raises apprehensions that the university’s draft statute shall enable the State government to curb freedom of speech in the campus.

The revised draft of the new statute of Jadavpur University (JU) — sent by the Chancellor’s office — to the JU authorities- has several provisions of punitive measures including dismissal from service if any employee of the University indulges in “unethical propagation” against the State Government’s policies. According to University sources the draft statutes was sent to the University authorities from Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi’s office, who is also the Chancellor of State Universities, last week.

The draft titled Jadavpur University Statutes (2016) — a copy of which is with The Hindu — states that if any employee of the University is found to be indulging in such “unethical propagation” against the State Government’s policies he or she shall be subjected to punitive measures such as dismissal from service, censure and withholding of promotion.

It states that “unethical propagation of the State’s police in media and press, breach of rules and regulations…of the University or of any higher authorities, any other ground which may be considered by the State Government and the University to be detrimental to the interest of the State and the University…” shall be treated as misconduct.

The document also states that in case the concerned employee faces “dismissal from service” it will automatically disqualify him from any job at the University in future. It includes provisions of compulsory retirement, reduction to a lower scale of pay for a specified period as well censure. If the University sustains any financial loss because of the “misconduct” by any of its employees, the entire amount or part of it have to be paid by the concerned employee. “Recovery from pay of the whole or part of any pecuniary loss caused to the University by negligence or breach of order,” states the draft. The university authorities, however, remained tight-lipped on the matter.

The development has raised apprehensions that the related provisions shall enable the State government to encroach into the autonomy of the university and curb freedom of speech and expression in the campus.

“The new provisions shall enable the State Government to dub any views expressed by University employees as misconduct according to its own convenience. If implemented it will severely hamper the autonomous functioning of the university,” a faculty member of JU told

The Hindu on condition of anonymity.