JNU teachers’ panel seeks revocation of ‘Professor Emeritus’ status granted to a professor

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has written to the President of India, urging to revoke the status of “Professor Emeritus” granted to Professor PR Kumaraswamy by the administration, alleging that conferring the title reflected favouritism

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has written to the President of India, urging to revoke the status of “Professor Emeritus” granted to Professor PR Kumaraswamy by the administration, alleging that conferring the title reflected favouritism.

(Photo for representation)

The professor retired on September 30 this year and was given the title, which is conferred to a university professor to honour a distinguished career while also allowing them to keep their title.

“The JNUTA appeals to the Visitor, the Honourable President of India, to ensure the immediate revocation of the Professor Emeritus status conferred on Prof. PR Kumaraswamy and order an independent, time-bound inquiry into the allegations of corruption and procedural irregularities raised in the public domain,” JNUTA said in a statement signed by president Syed Akhtar Husain.

The public statement was dated October 3.

JNU administration did not respond to queries sent by HT on mail.

Alleging favouritism, the teachers’ body said that the conferment of Professor Emeritus status is a selective honour that has previously been granted to only 15 professors at the university. The list of Professors Emerita and Emeritus as of July 15, 2025, includes Romila Thapar, Zoya Hasan and Sukhadeo Thorat, as per the university’s official website.

Professor Kumaraswamy, who taught at the Centre for West Asian Studies at JNU’s School of International Studies, expressed his gratitude to JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit for the honour.

“I am humbled and grateful to professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the wider JNU community for conferring upon me the honour of professor emeritus. I dedicate this is to my Guru professor M S Agwani,” said Kumaraswamy in a post on X on October 1.