New JNU rules: Students to pay up to Rs 50,000 fine for violence, dharna on campus; check details

It came after the university witnessed a slew of protests over the screening of a BBC documentary. The rules document states that it has been approved by the Executive Council, the highest decision-making body of the university. 

Students can face a penalty of up to Rs 20,000 and even cancellation of admission for holding dharnas or a fine of up to Rs 30,000 for resorting to violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, its latest rules stipulate.

As per the new rules, a student may face a fine of Rs 50,000 for physical violence, abuse and manhandling towards another student, staff, or faculty members. Students and teachers of the university have condemned the new rules and termed them "draconian".

Meanwhile, the JNU Students' Union has called a meeting of all student organisations on Thursday to discuss the new rules.

The 10-page 'Rules of Discipline and proper conduct of students of JNU' has laid out punishments for different kinds of acts like protests and forgery, and procedures for proctorial enquiry and recording a statement.

The punishment ranges from a fine of Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 or rustication and cancellation of admission. According to the document, the rules came into effect on February 3.

It came after the university witnessed a slew of protests over the screening of a BBC documentary. The rules document states that it has been approved by the Executive Council, the highest decision-making body of the university. 

However, Executive Council members have said that the issue was brought as an additional agenda item and it was mentioned that this document has been prepared for "court matters". They added that no proper discussion took place over the matter.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's JNU secretary Vikas Patel termed the new rules "authoritarian ('tughlaqi')" while asserting that the old code of conduct was sufficiently effective. He demanded a rollback of this "draconian" code of conduct.