Student and teacher bodies to hold 'public inquiry' against JNU VC Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit

New Delhi: The teachers' association and the students' union of JNU have declared a joint "public inquiry" against university vice chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, beginning Monday on campus at the Sabarmati lawns.

This follows a recent student referendum conducted by the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU), with a vast majority of those who voted voting that they wanted the VC to resign.

The JNUSU and the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) will present their "chargesheet" against the VC on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

The "chargesheets" will be presented "before a panel of public figures from different walks of life. An oral presentation of the case will accompany a written submission that will include all relevant documents," JNUTA said in a statement on Friday.

Over 90 per cent of the 2,400-odd students who cast their votes voted in favour of VC Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s resignation. A section of the students and faculty members claimed that there were over 9,000 eligible voters and most of them refrained from taking part in the exercise.

The university and the students' union have been at loggerheads over multiple controversies. The campus has witnessed continued protests since early February after the university suspended four JNUSU office-bearers, along with former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar, for two semesters.

The suspensions were issued for "extensive damage to university property" during a November 21, 2025, protest at the Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library.

The incident was followed by further protests demanding the revocation of the suspension order and clashes between left- and right-wing student groups. Remarks by the VC on a podcast on the UGC Equity Rules, deemed casteist by a section of student and teacher bodies, became a major flashpoint in the tussle with the university administration.

JNUTA further clarified that through the public inquiry, they seek to bring out a comprehensive picture of the "severe damage being done to a public institution by the current administration".

"This approach will allow the concerned members of the public to know the real situation in JNU and arrive at an informed judgement. For the inquiry process, we will also invite the JNU administration and give them an opportunity to present their defence," it said.

At the end of each day’s proceedings, panellists will provide their preliminary observations and follow it up with a written note articulating their "verdict" on the charges, it said, adding that the final observations and report will then be released to the public.

The hearing on each of the two days is expected to start at 5 pm, which will be followed by a protest performance.