---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: All India Students' Association <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 7:15 PM Subject: AISA Press Release: JNU Executive Council Reiterates Commitment for SC/ST Reservations in Faculty Posts To: [email protected]
Press Release All India Students' Association April 6th, 2010 University Strike and Massive Demonstration in JNU Today In Front of the JNU EC Meeting! Anti-Reservation Agenda of the Casteist Lobby Pushed Back! JNU EC Reiterates its Support for Implementation of SC/ ST Reservations in All Faculty Posts! EC Defers Decision on Present VC's Move to Get a Second Term By Changing the JNU ACT!! Students of JNU today observed a total University Strike in defence of reservations and social justice. Responding to a call by many political groups on campus, hundreds of students poured out in protest at the Ad Block where the JNU Executive Council (EC) was meeting to look into two very important issues which will have serious repercussions for the future of JNU's democratic ethos that has painstakingly been built up over the years - SC/ST reservation in faculty posts in JNU, as well as the audacious move of changing the very ACT that governs JNU in an obvious bid to allow the present Vice Chancellor a second term. As students and teachers maintained their protest dharna outside the Ad Block, a raging debate went on inside. Since the last EC meeting in November 2009, the casteist lobby aided by the Vice Chancellor did everything possible to scuttle or at least delay the process of implementation of the legally mandated SC/ST reservations in all faculty posts going to the extent of trying to upturn the EC's earlier decisions and JNU's own pronouncements. "JNU's students and faculty contested and exposed these attempts at each turn throughout the past three months - at the Centre level, at the AC meetings, and also at today's EC meeting. As a result of the sustained pressure from the entire JNU community the casteist lobby had to beat a retreat at today's meeting, and the EC was forced to reiterate its earlier stand (taken during the EC meetings of 2007) in support of SC/ST reservations in all faculty posts", said Sucheta De, general secretary, AISA, JNU. The EC however decided that it will have to wait for starting the actual appointment process till the UGC notifies the revised guidelines (on required qualifications and salary scale) for appointment at various posts in the wake of the 6th Pay Commission changes. Once these directives are issued, the JNU administration will start the appointments in faculty posts as per the advertisements. "The JNU VC, who has been enthusiastically facilitating an uncalled for 'debate' on the 'legality' of reservations clearly owes an explanation to the entire JNU community for creating this completely avoidable impasse for the past three months. Be it the criminal stealing of OBC seats for students, or the refusal to implement SC/ST reservations in faculty posts, both bear testimony to how JNU today is being run on the basis of ideological prejudices of people heading this institution rather than on the basis of constitutional mandates and the law of the land", added Sucheta. Regarding the issue of changing the JNU Act to allow a second term to our VC, the EC has deferred the issue to the next EC meeting since there was no unanimity within the EC on the issue. Earlier, the JNU Teachers' Association had brought out a statement unanimously rejecting this move to amend the JNU. Terming it as 'deleterious to the autonomous, academic and administrative functioning of JNU and its democratic ethos', JNUTA had demanded that this item be immediately withdrawn from the agenda of the JNU Executive Council meeting. Clearly, the JNU administration has been isolated and exposed in the entire JNU community for its totally undemocratic and authoritarian functioning. Whether it is the shameful continuation of scuttling of legally mandated reservations and social justice, or draconian, fascist clampdowns on public meetings and movie screenings, the entire JNU community has shown the JNU administration that such moves will not be accepted in JNU. Any attempts to destroy the democratic space in JNU will be stiffly resisted tooth and nail by the JNU community. Sd/- Sucheta De General Secretary, AISA, JNU -- Regards, Ravi Rai General Secretary All India Students' Association 9868661628
