JNU sets up grievance redressal cell ahead of elections

According to a university circular, the elections are likely to be held six to eight weeks after the commencement of the PhD academic session, which began on September 12.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has formally constituted a grievance redressal cell (GRC) to oversee the process of the upcoming JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections, expected to be held in November, officials said.

JNU Campus in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

According to a university circular, the elections are likely to be held six to eight weeks after the commencement of the PhD academic session, which began on September 12. “One of the most prominent and diverse student elections, the JNUSU election is expected to be conducted in mid- to late November for this academic session. The schedule will be released in due time,” said a university official.

In a notification issued by the dean of students’ officeon Friday, the varsity announced the formation of the GRC with a mandate to address grievances related to the conduct of elections. “The GRC shall serve as the ‘Court of Original Jurisdiction’. The institutional head, i.e., the Vice-Chancellor, shall have ‘Appellate Jurisdiction’ over issues of law and fact in all cases or controversies arising out of the conduct of the elections in which the GRC has issued a final decision. Upon review, the vice-chancellor may ‘revoke or modify’ the sanction imposed by the GRC,” the notification read.

Last year’s JNUSU elections saw Left-backed groups win three of four central panel posts, while the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) secured the joint secretary’s seat after nine years.

Meanwhile, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked JNU to examine a complaint alleging irregularities in the recruitment of an associate professor. In a mail to the JNU registrar on Friday, UGC undersecretary Lokesh Kumar Jangra directed the university to “take necessary action at the earliest as per rule and inform the applicant under intimation to the UGC.”

The complaint, filed by Bidyut Bora of Jorhat College, Assam, alleged that the selected candidate for the Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, did not meet UGC’s eight-year teaching experience requirement equivalent to that of an assistant professor. Bora said he was among the applicants interviewed for the post.