JNU earns Rs 18 lakh — off fines from protesting students

Universities should encourage intellectual discussions and debates, but they also need to ensure that academic activities aren't disrupted — certainly a balancing act between allowing free expression and maintaining discipline. However, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, it is also seemingly a new revenue stream.

JNU, where political activism has always been a core part of student life — to the point where a lot of citizens feel free to use ‘JNU gang’ as a shorthand for political positions they dislike. Yet now, the strict protest regulations and heavy fines at this historic institution — founded with the motto of tamaso ma jyotirgamaya ‘lead us from darkness into light’, a line from the Brihadaranayka Upanishad — feel like an attempt to suppress dissent and even discussion.

Of course, the administration argues that frequent protests disrupt classes and create logistical challenges. They also, apparently, are not quite silenced despite the punitive measures — and add to the varsity's coffers.

According to a Times of India report, JNU has collected over Rs 18 lakh in fines from students over the past six years for participating in protests and violating other ‘university norms’.

But is it possible that the ability to debate and question has been, if not silenced, at least been severely restricted for those unable to afford such a financial sanction?

Critics argue that such penalties may disproportionately affect students from economically weaker backgrounds and could be seen as a method to suppress dissent.

The amount the university has collected is nearly four times the annual fee charged from students enrolled in JNU's undergraduate courses, which is Rs 410 per annum. The fines have been particularly significant since the enforcement of stricter disciplinary measures in 2023.

For instance, according to the TOI report, JNU's chief proctorial office in December 2023 introduced a manual that prohibits protests within 100 metres of any academic building. Violations can result in fines up to Rs 20,000 or expulsion. This move has been criticised by student organisations as an attempt to curb campus activism and suppress dissent, inveighing against students’ right to assemble, freedom of speech and right to protest.

The administration, however, maintains that these measures are necessary to uphold discipline and prevent disruptions to academic activities.