JNU teachers’ group condemns university’s decision to confer Professor Emeritus title on Prof Kumaraswamy

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has condemned the JNU administration’s decision to confer the title of professor Emeritus upon professor PR Kumaraswamy, alleging favouritism, disregard for ethical standards, and abuse of executive power.

According to the university teachers’ group , professor Emeritus status is a rarely and selectively given honour, and has been bestowed upon only fifteen eminent persons amongst hundreds who have served with distinction as faculty in JNU.

It is conferred upon to recognize the extraordinary academic distinction, significant and distinctive contribution to the development of JNU as an institution, and it also demands an “unblemished” institutional integrity,” the JNUTA statement read.

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'JNU VC's gift to PR Kumaraswamy'

Meanwhile, the conferment of professor Kumaraswamy is a vice-chancellor’s parting gift to him as he was her willing and active partner in undermining the integrity of the faculty recruitment and promotion processes, especially in the position of IQAC director to which he has appointed her, it added.

“It is indeed symptomatic of the brazenness and shamelessness with which the VC and Prof. Kumaraswamy’s partnership has worked that the one individual picked to be a Professor Emeritus is one who ended his tenure in JNU on 30 September 2026 under the cloud of facing substantive accusations of corruption, high handedness and persecution of colleagues, as well as violation of JNU Ordinances and UGC Regulations,” the statement said.

Notably, the JNU teachers’ executive council have submitted a standing complaint to the central vigilance commission and also to the JNU executive council demanding an enquiry into allegation constituting serious offenses under Section 7(a), (b), and (c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

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JNUT EC submits complaint against PR Kumaraswamy

Furthermore, instead of initiating an investigation into the charges, the VC has chosen to not only actively shield the accused, but to reward him with one of the university’s highest honors, it added.

The decision to confer professor Kumaraswamy was announced by the VC in the 330th Meeting (emergency) of JNU executive council on September 30, 2026 under “Any Other Item”, after a declaration by the VC that she had received the nomination by the Dean, SIS, the statement read.

“Leave alone the agenda papers, even the minutes of the EC meeting do not contain any of the papers that are necessary as per the guidelines specified in Rule 32 of the Academic Rules and Regulations governing the conferment of Professor Emeritus,” it added.

The decision showed a “complete breakdown” of administrative ethics and a systematic abuse of executive power aimed at converting university processes into personal instruments of “patronage” administrative favoritism on the one hand, and their weaponization for institutional victimisation and harassment on the other, it said.