The JNU Teachers’ Association had earlier claimed that in the 2017-18, around 45 per cent seats were not offered for admission and that even among those on offer, reservations were not fulfilled.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has petitioned the Lok Sabha, seeking “immediate intervention” in the alleged violation of reservation policy by the university. They submitted their request to Lok Sabha’s Committee on Petitions through CPI(M) MP Jitendra Choudhury, a member of the panel.
“The university constituted a committee in 2016 to study the discrimination in the admission process with special reference to viva voce. The committee submitted its report based on the data (2012-2015), which recommended that the discriminatory pattern would get mitigated if the viva marks are reduced from 30 to 15 marks,” the JNUSU said in its petition, signed by all four office bearers.
However, they alleged that the administration adopted the UGC gazette notification of May 2016 and instituted 50 per cent blanket qualifying marks at the entrance level, irrespective of their category, and made it the “sole criterion” for selection.
“This shows that the university has violated the Act of Parliament — The Central Education Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006. The university has also violated the constitutional provision for access to higher education by SC/STs in violation with Article 15(1), 15(4) of the Constitution and Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989,” the JNUSU said.
“Therefore, we urge the Petitions Committee to prevail upon the VC to restore the reservation policy for admission to PhD, MPhil/PhD programmes of JNU, and to protect the rights of the candidates belonging to the SC/ST/OBC/ PWD,” they said.
JNUSU president Geeta Kumari said some admission figures from 2017 have been submitted. Choudhury confirmed to PTI that the petition was submitted, and that the committee will look into the issue.“We’re also preparing detailed statements by the Northeast and tribal students of the university, which also we will submit,” she said.
Around 30 MPs of CPI, Congress, NCP and RJD, among others, are also expected to write to HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, seeking his intervention in the matter.
The JNU Teachers’ Association had earlier claimed that in the 2017-18, around 45 per cent seats were not offered for admission and that even among those on offer, reservations were not fulfilled.
“Of the 159 seats offered, only 31 seats were reserved, reservation is therefore just 20.75%, in complete violation of the CEI Act and Constitutional provisions. Not one reservation quota has been filled. Shockingly, the bulk (76.33%) of the 131 seats that were not offered (100 seats) are the reserved seats,” the JNUTA had then claimed.