Seven years After 45 Faculty Member Took Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) To Court Over Its Disciplinary Action Against Them For Joining An-Day Strike, At Least Seveen Have, In The Past Sev Months, quietly withdrawn from the legal challenge and issued “unconditional” apologies.
Even as their cases take their course in Delhi High Court – The next hearing is in October – their expression of regret seems to have helped them.
For, since they apologied, disciplinary proceedings against all seven have been closed. That’s not all.
At least two have been appointed to Chairperson positions in schools with the university, the Indian express has learned.
Reviewed by Records The Indian express Show that the first set of apologies came in october 2024 When four faculty members withdrew from the case and issued “unconditional” apologies to the administration.
Of them, one is a professor; One an Associate Professor; And Two Were Assistant Professors of Whom One has been promoted. All four were equal in a school of language or in the social sciences.
After their apologies, they were cleared of disciplinary charges. The professor was appointed as Chairperson of a centre; One of the two assembly professors were promoted from Assistant Professor Stage 2 to Stage 3, then to Associate Professor Stage 4, and was eventually made a Chairperson in March 2025.
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Incidentally, The Professor also Made A RS-10,000 Contribution to the National Disaster Relief As a “Gesture of Goodwill.”
Three other Faculty Members issued their apologies by april this year and they similarly cleared of disciplinary charges.
Two are professors and one is an Associate Professor; One Professor is in Languages and one in social sciences; The Associate Professor is in Languages.
The Indian express Reached out to all seven faculty members who withdrew from the petition and tendered unconditional apologies. Three declined to comment, Four did not responsive.
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So, of the 45 Who Took Jnu to Court Against the Disciplinary Action, Seven Have Withdrawn their Cases, Two Have Passed Away, One has Retired and Withdrawn From The Joint To File A Separate Case – remain chargesheet.
Of these 35, at state three Assistant Professors who have applied for promotion told the Indian express that their applications have not been processed.
They were told, sources said, that an apology and withouthdrawal from the case preconditions for promotion.
In at least one case, a faculty member who had been selected for appointment to professorship by a university –constituted selection committtee Bodies – Deid not receive a formal appointment and was verbally “advanced” by the administration to consider withdrawing from the court case and offering an unconditional apology.
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When the Faculty Member Sautting Clarification in Writing, The University is learn to have made made made any such such Demand and Termed the Concerns unfounded allegations.
When asked about the promotion after the apologies, an official at the university told the Indian expression: “(linking the two) is Totally False and Fake narrows. Submit to the university will take strict action as per rules. “
The Disciplinary Action, Initiated in 2018 Against the Faculty Members, Invoked the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules – Typically Applied to Governance Employes – WHICH PROHIBIT STRIKES OR ANY FORM.
The action was basically on video footage and internal reports and was formalized through memorandums wasted by then Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar.
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Faculty Member Had Participated in a Protest on July 31, 2018, LED by the Jnu Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) Over alleged irregularities in appointments, and the sign of a sign of a sign of a sign With the university grants commission (UGC) and the ministry of education.
The issue of stalled promotions for charged faculty members has been raised repeatedly by the jnuta.
In march this year, the jnuta flaged this to vice-circumcillor santishree dhulipudi pandit follow up on a meeting Held on February 24.
Jnuta President Surajit Mazumdar Told The Indian Express That The University is Yet to Articulate its formal stand on the issue.
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“But in the style typical of the Jnu Administration these days, it has been informedly conveyed that an unconditional apology would be one of the preconditions for closure of disciplinary proceedings,” hee said.
Mazumdar, who is also the lead petitioner in the 2019 court case, added: “There is no continuation of petitioner whose promotion has been done.”
He added: “The invoking of CCS rules to deem a peaceful protest of teachers as illegal and meriting disciplinary action with Major Penalies was so clearly a coercive move… the asking for an apology also. Objective is unacceptable, and the charged should be unconditionally withdrawn – the consistent position of the jnuta. “