JNU student reps to Internal Committee allege procedural lapses, breach of confidentiality in Akoijam case

The student representatives on Jawaharlal Nehru University's Internal Committee have alleged that the university "openly disregarded all due procedure" in the sexual harassment case against professor and Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, and warned that the lapses could hand the accused grounds to get the dismissal stayed in court.

In a signed statement, the three representatives — Paran, Shruti and Garvita — said an unnumbered circular signed by the Vice-Chancellor and mentioning the committee's findings was circulating on WhatsApp and the internet, alongside a "crossed out document of the allegations and findings" released on X. They said no completed inquiry report had been presented to the student representative serving on the inquiry.

"The circulation of the findings and allegations of any case before the Internal Committee is a severe breach of confidentiality under Section 16 of the PoSH Act 2013 and the UGC IC Guidelines," the statement said.

The representatives said that under Section 8, Point (3) of the UGC IC Guidelines, once an inquiry is concluded a copy of the findings and recommendations must be sent to the complainant, the respondent and the appellate body of the institution. "This step has been skipped in this case," they said.

They argued that only after the Executive Council has decided on the action can any office order be issued, and that since the report had not been finalised, it could not have been decided upon by the council.

"Any procedural lapse on the part of the IC gives the defendant an opportunity to get a stay from the court on the recommendations or punishment," the statement said, citing the 2024 case of Riko Akai v. Swaran Singh, in which a respondent was terminated but obtained a stay from the High Court because of procedural lapses during the inquiry. "The same script is being repeated this time around."

The representatives said they had repeatedly maintained that the IC must follow due procedure under the UGC guidelines and the PoSH Act, but that the committee had "ensured that procedural lapses are made in a case of serious allegations, safeguarding the perpetrator".

They demanded an "immediate clarification" from the presiding officer of the Internal Committee and the Vice-Chancellor on the procedural lapses and the "repeated confidentiality breach".

JNU dismissed Akoijam, the Congress Lok Sabha member from Inner Manipur, on October 10 following an IC inquiry. The dismissal order, signed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit, said the committee had recommended "Major Punishment". According to earlier reports, 11 female students had accused him of sexual harassment. Akoijam was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2024.