Despite Delhi HC relief, JNU again rusticates PhD student Swati Singh

In an official notice, JNU stated Swati, who is President of the Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), was found guilty of "being involved in an argument and physical violence with a lady security guard" on August 29, 2023.

This action comes despite a 2024 Delhi High Court ruling overturning a previous rustication order against her on the same incident, calling JNU's inquiry process a "mockery of the principles of fair play" and a violation of natural justice.

The university invoked Statute 32(5), citing Category II (xxiv) and (xxv), which cover "intimidation or insulting behaviour" and "any other act... considered to be a violation of discipline."

Reacting to the latest development, Swati said: "Barely a day after ABVP managed to win a Jt. Sec post in the JNUSU elections, I've been handed a two-semester rustication and declared out of bounds (AGAIN). Let's call it what it is - a blatant act of political vendetta. When they can't defeat our politics, they punish our presence."

She told ANI that she would once again contest the order in court.

DSF, which is an Independent Left Student Organisation of Jawaharlal Nehru University, won the recently concluded JNUSU polls in alliance with AISA. Three out of four central panel position were won by the Left alliance.

ANI reached out to Chief Proctor N. Janardhana Raju, seeking a response. However, he did not return calls or texts.

The official rustication order dated April 29, shared by Swati on social media, also warns that "anyone giving shelter to Ms Swati Singh in any hostel/residence on campus shall invite disciplinary action."

In her detailed response to the Show Cause Notice dated April 2, Swati said she had fully cooperated with the inquiry, but that key aspects of her defence--including testimonies of student witnesses, her allegation of being manhandled by a security guard, and questions about the authenticity of the "visual evidence" used against her--had been ignored.

She accused the Proctorial Committee of reaching a one-sided conclusion while failing to act on her repeated request for full CCTV footage and disregarding contradictions in the testimonies of security personnel.

Swati also emphasised that this fresh action effectively reopens a matter for which the High Court had already granted her relief. "Although the punitive orders were legally set aside, their consequences have continued in practice," she wrote.

She said that despite the Court's direction to reinstate her and provide hostel accommodation, the university has not done so, forcing her to live outside the campus and bear "considerable financial and emotional strain."

Swati, currently nearing her Ph.D. thesis submission, said this second rustication could severely impact her academic trajectory. "Subjecting me to fresh disciplinary proceedings not only undermines the authority of the court's judgment but also violates the principles of natural justice," she stated.

In a strongly worded statement, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) condemned the move as a continuation of institutional targeting. "Swati had to approach the Delhi High Court in the past for relief from the witch-hunt run against her. The timing of this rustication--right after the JNUSU elections--makes the political motivation unmistakable," it said.

The statement, signed by President Nitish Kumar, Vice President Manisha, and General Secretary Munteha, called the move a "fascist assault" on campus democracy and urged students to stand united "against the witch-hunt of activists and the strangling of our right to speak truth to power." (ANI)