Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit stated on Sunday that no positions at the university have been “de-reserved”. This came out in response to criticism of the UGC’s draft rules on filling reserved posts in higher education institutions. In December of last year, the draft was made public.
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According to the University Grants Commission’s new draft guidelines, which were available for public comment until January 28th. The post designated for a candidate may be declared unreserved if there are insufficient applicants from these categories.
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There has been criticism from many sectors regarding the draft. The Ministry of Education (MoE) reaffirmed on Sunday that no reserved posts can be de-reserved in response to the proposed guidelines.
JNU VC ON “DE-RESERVED” POSITIONS
“As JNU VC, I want to reiterate to all stakeholders that no posts in JNU have been de-reserved,” Pandit clarified in a statement posted on X.
Excellent applicants are inside the reserved group. According to the statement, JNU complies with the Center’s reservation guidelines. They maintain an office memo stating that no category of vacancies for SC, ST, or OBC may be de-reserved.
Additionally, the interchangeability of positions designated for these categories is prohibited,” the statement continued, citing the Supreme Court’s declaration to support this position.
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CRITICISM OF THE NEW GUIDELINES
According to Congress, there is a “conspiracy” to remove the reservations made for SCs, STs, and OBCs in higher education positions. On Monday, the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) plans to protest UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar over the matter.
The JNUSU said that “scuttling of reservation in higher education institutes” and “exclusionary” language were included in the new draft rules. Additionally, a protest at the UGC offices on Monday has been organized by the SFI Delhi State Committee.