JNU debars two professors from post

Two candidates, who had sought appointment as professors in the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Indo—Pacific Studies under the School of International Studies, have been debarred by the varsity from applying for any position for five years after they filed complaints against each other of being ineligible for the post and alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

Listed second by the selection committee, a woman complainant, in September had alleged that the selected candidate’s experience did not match requirements advertised for the post. She had also accused the candidate of plagiarism in his published papers, on the basis of which he had applied to the university.

However, the male candidate filed a counter-complaint of plagiarism against her after the university had constituted an inquiry committee on the matter in November based on the complaint. Although the charges have not been specified, but the university in its executive council meeting held last week, decided to bar both the candidates for five years from applying for any position in the university. The female candidate, who is also an alumni of JNU, said, “I had raised my objections to the selection process. A committee was constituted and now I have been debarred from applying for five years. Not even once I have been told what charges have been levelled against me. The committee has not heard me. I have not been provided any documents despite my repeated requests and I have been debarred for five years just because I objected to the irregularities.”

While a senior university official confirmed the development, he refused to comment on the specific charges due to which the two candidates had been debarred and the findings of the inquiry committee.

JNU vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar and the male candidate did not respond to the calls and text messages.

Even the JNU students, who are under the scanner for alleged violation of discipline norms during the Afzal Guru event, raised questions about the university’s inquiry process.