JNUTA demands JNU VC Santishree Pandit's removal over podcast remarks

The JNUTA has urged the Education Minister to remove JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit. The demand follows her alleged casteist remarks on a podcast, dismissal of UGC rules, and the police detention of protesting students.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) on Thursday demanded the removal of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit over her purported remarks on a podcast, dismissing the UGC regulations and alleged casteist undertones in her statements.

JNUTA Questions Government's Stance

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, JNUTA questioned the Ministry and the Central Government's position over the VC's remarks and the detention of the university students protesting against it.

JNUTA also raised questions over the VC's alleged political allegiance to the Union government and her attribution of it as the reason for her appointment to the position. It further questioned the government's silence after the University students, who carried out a protest march to pose questions against the said remarks, were subjected to "barbaric violence" and detention by the Delhi Police.

JNUTA said that the "proactive role of the Government" in taking action against students but not the VC, shows its "commitment to the justice, social, economic and political, enshrined in the Indian Constitution, in extremely poor light."

Repeated Demands for VC's Removal

JNUTA said that by not clearing its stance on the issue, an impression of the government's lack of seriousness on caste discrimination is being created. Citing repeated instances of the VC's "mis-governance," JNUTA demanded her immediate removal from the position, adding that a similar demand has been raised thrice in 2025 alone.

"....we would at least be able to appreciate the honesty of the Government if it instead stated clearly that it endorses the casteist views of the JNU VC. By not saying so and not acting against the JNU VC, the impression is being allowed to gain ground that the Government is not serious about addressing the issue of caste discrimination in higher education institutions. It would be up to your Ministry to prove that this impression is wrong, by ensuring the removal of Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, from office of the Vice Chancellor of JNU. This is of course not the first time that the JNUTA is seeking the removal of the current VC of JNU. Your Ministry would be well aware of the fact that the JNUTA had made this demand in three successive representations to the Honourable Visitor - on 1 September 2025, 22 September 2025, and 21 November 2025," JNUTA wrote in the letter.

Allegations of Mis-governance and Discrimination

The teachers' association further pointed out the alleged "abuse of the 'None Found Suitable' (NFS) provisions to thwart faculty appointments against reserved positions, discriminatory treatment of faculty in promotions based on their background, and also the declining numbers and proportions of women and SC and ST categories in the student body" by the VC.

Accusations of Factual Misrepresentation

Expressing strong criticism against the VC's remarks on caste-based discrimination, UGC Equity Regulations and the proportion of women faculty, JNUTA said that Pandit is known for "gross misrepresentation of facts."

"You would also be aware that her claim in the podcast that the UGC Equity Regulations were adopted 'secretively' is easily established as a falsehood, if nothing else by the simple fact that the Draft Version was put out for comments on the UGC website on 27 February 2025, almost 11 months before they were notified. Surely JNU would have received a copy of this draft. Even this penchant for gross misrepresentation of facts is familiar to people in JNU as one of the traits of the Vice Chancellor. In the podcast under consideration she also made a statement about the propotion of women in the faculty whose falsity can easily be verified by the data available in the Annual Reports of the University that are placed every year before the Parliament of India," JNUTA wrote.

'Reputation of Ministry at Stake'

Stating that the University has been the hallmark of "academic excellence and social equity," JNUTA deemed the VC unfit to head the institution.

The teachers' association said the reputation of the Ministry is also at stake, along with the VC and the University, urging prompt and stern response from the Ministry of Education.

"The need for such regulations, however, is undeniable and the JNUTA strongly disagrees with the view of the JNU VC that they are unnecessary, in addition to finding her 'analysis' of their background condemnable. Coming from someone whose reputation in the eyes of the JNU faculty was already beyond redemption, these disgusting remarks only add to the strength of the sentiments that makes her continuation as JNU's VC completely unacceptable. We urge you to appreciate though that this time around it is not her reputation but that of your Ministry, and in the eyes of the larger public and not merely in JNU, that is at stake. We hope you will act keeping these in mind and await your response," the letter read. (ANI)

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