JNUTA seeks clarity from Pradhan on JNU V-C’s caste remarks
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) wrote an open letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday seeking clarity on the Centre’s position regarding alleged controversial remarks on caste by JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit.
The teachers’ body said the vice-chancellor’s comments, made during a podcast which has been widely circulated online, were “shocking” and warranted a response from the Ministry of Education.
In the letter to the Union education minister, JNUTA argued that the remarks created an impression that the Centre shared or endorsed her views, especially as Pandit apparently referred to her political alignment with the ruling party while discussing her appointment.
The association reiterated its demand for Pandit’s removal from the post of vice-chancellor (V-C), noting that it had earlier made similar representations.
“JNUTA had made this demand in three successive representations to the Honourable Visitor - on September 1, September 22, and November 21, 2025...
We had also highlighted that undermining and violation of social and gender justice was one of the important dimensions of the misgovernance of JNU under the leadership of Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit - marked by a centralisation of power and the pursuit of a policy of pick and choose,” the letter read.
JNUTA also criticised what it described as the education ministry’s silence over the issue, contrasting it with the police action taken earlier when JNU students attempted to march to the ministry on February 26.
According to the teachers’ body, the lack of response has raised questions about the Union Government’s commitment to addressing caste discrimination in higher education institutions.
In its letter, the association raised concerns over alleged misuse of the ‘None Found Suitable’ provision in faculty recruitment for reserved posts, “discrimination” in promotions, and alleged decline in representation of women and students from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories.
It claimed that the V-C’s remarks in the podcast, where she allegedly described caste discrimination as a “manufactured reality” linked to a “permanent victimhood” mindset, were not only consistent with her administrative approach but added a “new and disturbing dimension” to it.
