NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 25: The students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have paid Rs.4.76 lakh in fines from April to December 2017. This is thrice the amount collected in 2016, an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed.
Money collected in fines tripled in 2017
According to the RTI, the students were imposed a fine of Rs.1,64,000 between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. The amount got tripled to Rs.4,76,075 between April 1, 2017 and December 9, 2017. The amount collected from the fines was Rs.2,76,655 between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016.
The university’s Chief Proctor Kaushal Kumar Sharma and Rector I Chintamani Mahapatra didn’t respond to the phone calls and email/text reminders when asked about the cause of these fines and disciplinary cases.
21 students fined in a single day
The most high-profile incident occurred on February 9, 2016 at the campus wherein a total of 21 students were fined a minimum of Rs.10,000 including other punishments as well. Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya were a part of this. The students challenged the decision in the High Court, but the administration upheld the punishment despite setting up of an appeals committee. However, some fines were reduced.
In 2017, a total of six students were imposed a fine of Rs.20,000 during a dispute against organizational inaction in the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmad. JNUSU office bearers and Khalid were among these six rule-breakers.
The administration has put fines of nearly Rs.4 lakh till September this year. This includes four former JNU Students’ Union office bearers as well. They have been fined Rs.40,000 each in three cases of suspected non-discipline. A total of twenty-five students have paid between Rs.6,000 and Rs.10,000 as fines. In February this year, Rs.20,000 have been imposed as fine on six activists each for a protest.
Absence of enquiry
JNUSU General Secretary 2016-17 Satarupa Chakraborty has paid a total fine of Rs.56,666 out of which nearly Rs.27,000 was charged this year. “Fines have increased in recent years. The minimum fine now is Rs 10,000, which is more than the fellowships students get. There is no proper enquiry in any of these cases,” she has been quoted saying to a national daily.
Geeta Kumari, JNUSU President 2017-18, told a national daily, “Earlier, regular fines were Rs.2,000. In grave situations, it would be Rs.5,000. Fines are being slapped on known activists to stop them from engaging in student politics, since any disciplinary case prevents one from contesting elections as per Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations.”
