The association of faculty members of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has cited a decision by the executive council to set up a committee to examine the leave applications of eight of their colleagues as an arbitrary decision under the new dispensation.

The JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) has drawn a parallel between the functioning of the university under Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, who took over in February, and that under M. Jagadesh Kumar, the previous VC who was accused of series of arbitrary decisions. During Kumar’s time, several faculty members were denied academic leave, forcing them to approach court and get relief.

Five faculty members had recently applied for sabbatical leave, which is meant for the purpose of writing books or research monographs, and three wanted extraordinary leave to take up research fellowships.

Under the existing norms, such applications are examined by the chairperson of the centre where the faculty member is working, dean of the respective school, academic branch and finally by the executive council (EC), the top decision making body. After all formal approvals, the applications reached the EC, which on May 5 decided to refer them to a leave committee that will be set up.

“The JNUTA is extremely dismayed to learn that the 300th EC did not deliberate on the leave applications of these eight colleagues. Instead, without any agenda justifying this proposal, the EC has simply noted against each individual case that it has decided to set up a leave committee to be constituted by the VC, which will scrutinise all long leave applications (sabbatical, study leave, EOL etc) and submit its recommendations to the VC. It is the VC who will then decide whether to grant leave in each case or to refer the matter to the EC,” the JNUTA said in a statement.

“Adding on a leave committee to the established institutional process will only create a redundant, additional layer of complication, including potential contradictions in which decisions made at the centre/school level are overturned by this committee,” it said.

Lost or delayed opportunities for fellowships or delayed research publications only damage the university’s research profile and its position in national and international rankings, it said. It urged the EC to withdraw its decision on setting up leave committee.

An email has been sent to the VC to understand the perspective of the university. The response is awaited.