JNU sets up 5-member panel after 15-seat ST shortfall flagged in PhD admissions
By TUF News Desk · Published 3 November 2026 · 4 min read
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Jawaharlal Nehru University has set up a five-member committee to look into complaints that its PhD admissions for 2026-27 short-changed reserved-category candidates. The move follows weeks of campus protests and intervention by two national commissions.
The committee was constituted by the vice-chancellor through a notification dated October 26. Its brief is to examine the representations student organisations have made about Scheduled Tribe seats in the PhD programmes, and report back.
Who sits on the panel
Vivek Kumar, dean of the School of Social Sciences, chairs the committee. The other members are the university’s ST liaison officer, the chief adviser of the Equal Opportunity Office, the deputy registrar (legal) and the assistant registrar of the SC/ST/OBC Cell. The chair can co-opt additional members if the inquiry needs them.
That composition has already drawn one objection. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has demanded student representation on the panel, arguing that the people affected by the seat allocation should have a voice in reviewing it. No student member has been added so far.
The numbers at the centre of the row
The dispute is about arithmetic in the admission prospectus. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) flagged the figures on October 28. JNU advertised 711 regular PhD seats for 2026-27 across three admission channels: UGC-NET, UGC-NET-JRF and GATE.
Under the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 7.5 per cent of seats go to ST candidates and 15 per cent to SC candidates. On 711 seats, that works out to about 53 ST seats and about 107 SC seats. The prospectus listed 38 ST seats and 103 SC seats, according to the SFI. The gap is around 15 seats for ST candidates and four for SC candidates.
The SFI also pointed to a larger gap for candidates with benchmark disabilities. Against a 5 per cent requirement, which would mean 36 seats, the prospectus listed 17.
These are the student groups’ figures. The university has not publicly accepted or rejected them.
How the complaint reached the panel
The SFI, JNUSU and the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) submitted representations to the administration alleging violations of PhD admission norms in the prospectus. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes took up the matter after a complaint by JNUSU vice-president Gopika Babu, and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes directed the university’s Equal Opportunity Cell to examine the issue at once.
The row also reached Parliament. CPI(M) Lok Sabha MP K Radhakrishnan wrote to Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on October 29, asking him to intervene and have the prospectus withdrawn. His letter cited the same seat figures the student groups had raised.
What happens next
For now, the panel’s job is to examine the representations and the seat allocation behind them. No deadline for its report has been made public, and the university has not said whether the prospectus will change while the review is under way. Two questions matter most for aspirants: whether the committee recommends re-notifying seats, and whether the students’ union gets the representation it has asked for.
Students comparing central universities can read our guide to choosing a university in India. The university’s own notices are published on its official website.
Frequently asked questions
Why has JNU formed a committee on PhD admissions?
Student organisations complained that the 2026-27 PhD prospectus allotted fewer seats than required to ST, SC and disabled candidates. The vice-chancellor set up a five-member committee to examine those representations.
How big is the shortfall alleged by student groups?
The SFI says ST candidates got 38 seats against about 53 required, SC candidates 103 against about 107, and candidates with benchmark disabilities 17 against 36, out of 711 regular PhD seats.
Who is on the JNU panel?
Vivek Kumar, dean of the School of Social Sciences, chairs it. The other members are the ST liaison officer, the chief adviser of the Equal Opportunity Office, the deputy registrar (legal) and the assistant registrar of the SC/ST/OBC Cell.
Does the panel include student representatives?
No. The students’ union has asked for student representation on the committee, but the panel announced so far has only university officials and administrators.
Frequently asked questions
Why has JNU formed a committee on PhD admissions?
Student organisations complained that the 2026-27 PhD prospectus allotted fewer seats than required to ST, SC and disabled candidates. The vice-chancellor set up a five-member committee to examine those representations.
How big is the shortfall alleged by student groups?
The SFI says ST candidates got 38 seats against about 53 required, SC candidates 103 against about 107, and candidates with benchmark disabilities 17 against 36, out of 711 regular PhD seats.
Who is on the JNU panel?
Vivek Kumar, dean of the School of Social Sciences, chairs it. The other members are the ST liaison officer, the chief adviser of the Equal Opportunity Office, the deputy registrar (legal) and the assistant registrar of the SC/ST/OBC Cell.
Does the panel include student representatives?
No. The students' union has asked for student representation on the committee, but the panel announced so far has only university officials and administrators.
Sources: Times Now, The New Indian Express, Careers360