Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union petitions Lok Sabha for restoration of reservation policy

New Delhi: Flagging alleged “tampering” of reservation policy in admissions by the Jawahar Lal Nehru University administration, it’s students’ union on Wednesday petitioned to Lok Sabha seeking its intervention to restore the benefits awarded to students belonging to backward castes.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) submitted its request to Lok Sabha’s Committee on Petitions through CPM MP Jitendra Choudhury. Confirming this to PTI, Choudhury said the petition was submitted today to the committee and that it would look into the issue.

“Similarly, around 30 MPs of CPI, Congress, NCP and RJD among others will be writing to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javdekar seeking his intervention,” a JNUSU leader said.

In the petition, JNUSU said, “Clauses in the Admission Policy and Procedure 2018-19 (Annexure 1) have made written examination a qualifying paper and viva is the sole criteria for selection.”

“A committee constituted by the varsity in 2016 to study discrimination in the admission process recommended reduction of viva marks from 30 to 15 to mitigate the discrimination pattern. This shows that the varsity has violated fundamental rights, Central Education Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act 2006 and SC/ST Atrocities Act 1989,” the petition said, urging the committee to intervene and restore the policy.

“Earlier it was 70 marks for written test, 30 marks for viva and combined marks of both would be considered for selection, besides properly fulfilling the reservation norms,” JNUSU president Geeta Kumari said, alleging “tampering” of the reservation policy by the administration.