Reform, rupture or repetition: JNU under Santishree Pandit - The HinduPublished - September 02, 2026 02:38 pm ISTOne night in November 2025, a scuffle broke out at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over facial recognition entry gates, which students viewed as a tool for surveillance. By February 2, 2026, JNU administration had rusticated all four elected office-bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) from the university.President Aditi Mishra, Vice President Gopika K. Babu, General Secretary Sunil Yadav, Joint Secretary Danish Ali and former union president Nitish Kumar were each rusticated for two semesters, fined ₹20,000 each and declared out of bounds from the entire campus. This marked the first time in JNU’s history that an administrative order dissolved an entire elected union.This is one episode in Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s tenure, which has been defined by recurring disputes over discipline, recruitment and caste politics. Even as these controversies have played out, the university has sustained its second-place ranking among universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and resumed regular convocations, including its sixth convocation, addressed by President Droupadi Murmu.A student who witnessed the expulsion incident noted that staging protests within a 100-meter radius of the administrative building is no longer feasible, a restriction which was formalised when the administration barred protests near academic complexes and imposed a ₹20,000 fine on violators in 2023. The student said surveillance has altered the day-to-day functioning of student politics.Ms. Pandit has been the V-C since February 7, 2022. Before her, M. Jagadesh Kumar had headed JNU from 2016 until his appointment as UGC Chairman in early 2022. He was also accused of cracking down on dissent and protests at multiple instances.On recruitment, the administration stakes its stronger claim to legacy on the scale of appointments made. Officials state that since February 2022, JNU has conducted over 400 interviews and filled more than 200 positions. Approximately 70% of these appointments have been made from reserved categories, and officials report receiving no complaints from candidates regarding the interview process.However, the JNUSU and Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) question this record. In August 2026, both bodies demanded Ms. Pandit’s resignation. They alleged that subject-expert screening committees had rejected some candidates for failing UGC eligibility criteria, but selection panels later reinstated them.Ms. Pandit dismissed these allegations, terming them a “malicious campaign” and “false propaganda.” She stated that the recruitment process had been conducted fairly. However, she has faced an inquiry previously over a similar issue. A 2009 inquiry at her previous institution, then the University of Pune, found her guilty of misconduct and moral turpitude over irregularities in student admissions, and the university withheld several of her salary increments as punishment. Students in several departments at JNU say shortages persist despite the recruitment drive. Some students said the newly hired faculty have not improved teaching quality in their subjects.A separate controversy emerged over caste. Pandit’s remarks during a February 2026 podcast on University Grants Commission’s (UGC) equity guidelines drew widespread criticism. She said, “There is a sense of perpetual victimhood and you cannot always progress by playing the ‘victim card.’ This was done for Black people and the same thing has been introduced here for Dalits.” The JNUSU termed these statements casteist and demanded her resignation. Pandit said the excerpts had been presented out of context and described herself as a “Bahujan” hailing from an OBC background.A former JNUSU president lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. In August, the Delhi High Court directed the Commission to decide on the matter within eight weeks. Students have also levelled allegations of casteism against her.Taken together, discipline, recruitment and caste politics do not point to one single conclusion about the administration. Each has its own timeline, its own documentary record and its own counter-narrative and each deserves to be judged on its own terms.In her public statements, Pandit has consistently portrayed her tenure through the lens of transparency and record-breaking recruitment. Her critics view that same period through the lens of surveillance, isolation and controversy. The contentious issues, specifically allegations regarding recruitment and caste-related grievances, remain officially unresolved. An inquiry by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes is still pending and no authority has set up an independent committee to investigate the recruitment disputes.Pandit has roughly five months left in her term, which concludes in February 2027. The available record documents what has been claimed, what has been established, and what remains disputed. Whether that adds up to reform, rupture or repetition will depend on how the pending inquiries and the rest of her term play out.Published - September 02, 2026 02:38 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }