‘No Evidence, Only Fake Propaganda’: JNU VC Rejects Recruitment Corruption Charges, Calls Herself Target of ‘Vicious Campaign’

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit has strongly dismissed allegations of corruption in faculty recruitments, describing them as part of a “fake malicious campaign” driven by “false, distorted, selective, or unsubstantiated narratives.”

Speaking to ANI on reports of an alleged recruitment scam, Pandit said, “Despite the most transparent record recruitments, especially of the SC/ST and the OBC in the university in the last four and a half years of my term as VC, I have been made the target of a vicious campaign by the JNUSU and JNUTA. No evidence, only fake propaganda.”

The remarks come amid sharp criticism from the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), which has alleged large-scale irregularities in appointments. Citing an investigation by The Reporters’ Collective titled “Recruitment Scam at JNU Unearthed,” the union claimed that candidates initially rejected by subject experts for not meeting mandatory University Grants Commission (UGC) eligibility criteria were later reinstated and appointed through intervention by the university administration and its Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC).

JNUSU alleged that such practices involve bypassing UGC regulations, ignoring dissent notes from elected Executive Council members, and prioritising political patronage and ideological affiliations over academic merit.

“We all at the university have been suffering due to such appointments driven by corruption and RSS-oriented political affiliations,” the union stated.

It further accused the administration of arbitrariness, favouritism in appointments, and prolonged denial of promotions to eligible faculty members, arguing that these actions undermine academic integrity, institutional autonomy, teaching, research, and students’ futures at the publicly funded premier university.

The students’ body also referenced a past inquiry report by retired Justice J.A. Patil concerning Pandit’s earlier tenure at the University of Pune. According to JNUSU, the report found her guilty of “misconduct and moral turpitude” for allegedly recommending admissions of ineligible students under the 15% supernumerary quota meant for Persons of Indian Origin. The union additionally claimed she had faced major penalties in the past, including permanent withholding of increments.

JNUSU demanded the immediate removal of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and IQAC director P.R. Kumaraswamy, a halt to ongoing recruitments, a time-bound judicial or court-monitored independent inquiry into all faculty recruitments during her tenure, a comprehensive audit of the IQAC and Executive Council’s roles, full public disclosure of recruitment records, and accountability measures against those found responsible for violating regulations.

The union maintained that JNU “belongs to its students, teachers, workers, and the people of this country, not to any political network seeking to capture public institutions,” and called on the Ministry of Education, UGC, and the academic community to restore transparency, social justice, and academic excellence.

Pandit has firmly rejected the charges, insisting the recruitments under her leadership have been transparent and that the accusations lack evidence.