From late October 2019, students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi protested a new hostel manual that raised single-room rent from Rs 20 to Rs 600 a month and added service and utility charges. The protest stranded the HRD minister at the convocation on 11 November and led to a march towards Parliament on 18 November, when about 100 students were detained. The university and the ministry offered two partial rollbacks, and in January 2020 the Delhi High Court let students who had not yet registered do so at the old rates.
Key takeaways
- On 28 October 2019 JNU's Inter Hostel Administration approved a new hostel manual that raised single-room rent from Rs 20 to Rs 600 a month, double-room rent from Rs 10 to Rs 300, and added a Rs 1,700 monthly service charge.
- On 18 November 2019 police stopped a JNU march towards Parliament under prohibitory orders and detained about 100 students; students alleged a lathi-charge that injured visually impaired students, which Delhi Police denied.
- The HRD ministry said in January 2020 the issue was resolved because the UGC would bear service and utility charges, but higher room rent stayed with a 50% concession for BPL students; the students' union rejected this.
- On 24 January 2020 the Delhi High Court allowed students who had not registered to do so under the old hostel manual without late fees.
Background: the new hostel manual
On 28 October 2019 JNU's Inter Hostel Administration (IHA) approved amendments to the manual Tribune/PTI. Single-room rent rose from Rs 20 to Rs 600 a month and double-room rent from Rs 10 to Rs 300. A monthly service charge of Rs 1,700 was introduced, and the one-time refundable mess security deposit went from Rs 5,500 to Rs 12,000 Business Today.
The draft also set stricter hostel timings and, students said, a dress code Careers360. The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) later told the High Court that student representatives were given only 30 minutes' notice of the IHA meeting, so it was held without them LiveLaw.
How the protest started
The HRD ministry later dated the agitation from 28 October 2019, when JNUSU members began protesting Tribune. The union called the increase "a whopping 999% more than the earlier one" and said more than 40% of students came from families near the poverty line, citing JNU's annual reports Careers360.
Both Left-backed groups and the RSS-affiliated ABVP opposed the hike in the first fortnight Business Today.
11 November: the convocation stand-off
JNU held its third convocation on 11 November 2019 at the AICTE auditorium, about 3 km from campus, with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' attending. The union called for a boycott, and hundreds of students marched to the venue. Police used water cannons and some protesters were detained National Herald/IANS-PTI.
Naidu left before the protest escalated. Pokhriyal stayed inside for around five hours until senior Delhi Police officers escorted him out after 4 pm Gulf News; a PTI report put the time at over six hours India TV/PTI. The ministry said he met the students and "assured them of a quick and appropriate solution" Careers360.
13 November: the first partial rollback
On 13 November the Executive Council met off campus because of the protests. HRD Secretary R Subrahmanyam tweeted that it had announced a "major roll-back" and an assistance scheme for poorer students, adding: "Time to get back to classes." The JNU Teachers' Association said only "cosmetic changes" had been made and that eight council members missed the meeting because they were not told of the venue change Business Today.
The Registrar's statement gave Below Poverty Line (BPL) students a 50% concession on room rent, utility and service charges, excluding students holding JRF, SRF or similar fellowships. The mess deposit went back to Rs 5,500 and the hostel curfew timings were dropped. The general room rent stayed as proposed, so BPL students would pay Rs 300 for a single room Onmanorama. Early reports quoting ministry officials had said single rooms would cost Rs 200 Sentinel/IANS, but the court filings in January 2020 confirm Rs 600 for single rooms and Rs 300 for BPL students Tribune/PTI. The union said it would keep protesting.
18 November: the march towards Parliament
On 17 November the HRD ministry set up a three-member "high-powered committee" to restore "normal functioning" at JNU through dialogue. Its members were former UGC chairman V S Chauhan, UGC secretary Rajnish Jain and AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe Careers360.
On 18 November, the first day of Parliament's Winter Session, thousands of students set out to march to Parliament Onmanorama. According to media reports, police invoked Section 144 to prevent students gathering around the campus Careers360. They stopped the march on Baba Gang Nath Marg near campus, where nearly 100 protesters including Aishe Ghosh were detained PTI via LatestLY. Others reached Safdarjung Tomb and Jor Bagh. Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat metro stations were shut on police advice Careers360, and services resumed four hours later Onmanorama.
The next day police filed two FIRs, for violating prohibitory orders and obstructing police, and for damage to public property. Police said about 30 personnel and 15 students were hurt in the eight-hour protest Scroll.
Both accounts
Students' and teachers' account
Claim · JNU students and teachers Over 10 students, including visually and physically challenged students, were hurt when police baton-charged them. Students said police beat visually impaired JNUSU councillor Shashi Bhushan Pandey, stepped on his chest, and that he was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre PTI via LatestLY. Pandey said he was beaten after telling police he was visually impaired Scroll.
Students said police switched off streetlights at Jor Bagh before a third lathi-charge Onmanorama. Ghosh said she was detained by four male officers with no women police present PTI via LatestLY.
Police, administration and ministry account
Police position Delhi Police said: "There was no use of water cannons, tear gas shells or lathi-charge at any stage of the protest." It said enough women staff were deployed, alongside 10 CAPF companies and about 800 Delhi Police personnel Onmanorama.
Administration's position JNU said on 22 November it had a deficit of more than Rs 45 crore "because of huge electricity and water charges and the salary of contractual staff". It said the UGC had told it to meet non-salary shortfalls from its own receipts, so "there is no alternative for the IHA than to collect service charges". It also said admission fees had not been revised "for more than four decades" Scroll. VC Kumar said the Rs 10 base rent "was fixed 40 years ago" and was too low Scroll. In court, JNU said the revision paid the salaries of more than 400 contract workers after a UGC circular on outsourced staff costs LiveLaw.
Talks, a second rollback and the exam boycott
The ministry committee met students on 20 and 22 November. The union asked for the hike to be put on hold and for a new IHA meeting with students present Onmanorama.
Meanwhile JNU set up its own high-level committee on 24 November. A day later it recommended cutting utility and service charges from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,000 a month for all students and to Rs 500 for BPL students. The executive council approved this by circulation, and the UGC agreed to release Rs 6.41 crore Scroll. JNUSU called it an "outrageous fraud" and said it bypassed statutory bodies Careers360.
On 3 December the university warned that students skipping end-semester exams from 12 December would "cease to be the bonafide students" Outlook. On 12 December students in several schools and centres boycotted the exams or walked out, though some, such as the School of Engineering, sat them Tribune/PTI. Talks with the VC that day made no headway Business Standard/PTI.
On 10 and 11 December HRD Secretary Amit Khare held meetings with students, teachers and the administration. The ministry later said "certain mutually agreeable agreements were arrived" at there Tribune. Under the plan, students would pay the higher room rent while the UGC paid service and utility charges Scroll.
The registration boycott and January 2020
JNUSU called a boycott of winter semester registration and said students would pay tuition fees but not the higher hostel charges Scroll. Online registration opened on 1 January 2020. The JNU security department then filed complaints alleging that protesters damaged server rooms and optical fibres to disrupt it The Wire. Those clashes led into the masked mob attack on the campus on 5 January 2020, covered on a separate page.
On 9 January JNU issued a circular saying hostel residents would not be charged service and utility charges. The UGC was asked to pay them, but the higher room rent still applied MHRD release via EduIndex. On 13 January Pokhriyal said the main demand "has now been settled" and that continuing the agitation was "no longer justified". The ministry said more than 5,000 students had registered Tribune.
There was only a record of discussion, no agreement.
JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, 13 Jan 2020, via The Tribune
Ghosh said the circular meant the charges would be brought in at the next opportunity Tribune.
Timeline
New manual approved
The IHA approves the amended hostel manual, and the protest begins Tribune.
Convocation protest
Water cannons used outside the AICTE venue; the HRD minister is unable to leave for hours Gulf News.
March towards Parliament
About 100 detained; students allege lathi-charge, police deny it Onmanorama.
Talks at the ministry
Rent stays; the UGC is to bear service and utility charges Tribune.
Registration boycott and attack
Server room complaints, then the 5 January mob attack The Wire.
High Court interim order
Remaining students may register under the old manual LiveLaw.
The Delhi High Court case
On 21 January 2020 JNUSU office-bearers Aishe Ghosh, Saket Moon, Satish Chandra Yadav and Md Danish petitioned the Delhi High Court. They challenged the IHA decision of 28 October, the executive council's ratification on 13 November and the high-level committee's changes of 25 November as "malafide, arbitrary and illegal" Tribune/IANS.
On 24 January Justice Rajiv Shakdher let the roughly 10% of students who had not registered do so within a week under the old manual, without late fees. He issued notice to JNU, the HRD ministry and the UGC LiveLaw. Answering the university's point that 90% had already paid, he asked: "When you don't have a choice, what do you do?" Newslaundry.
In Public Universities, the burden of paying the salaries to contractual workers can't be put on students. It's the responsibility of the government to find money for funding the same.
Delhi High Court bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher, 24 Jan 2020, as reported by LiveLaw
Outcome
- Fees: Higher room rent (Rs 600 single, Rs 300 double) stayed, with a 50% BPL concession; service and utility charges were not collected from students in the winter 2020 registration, and the UGC was asked to pay them MHRD via EduIndex.
- Detentions and FIRs: About 100 detained on 18 November and released later that day Onmanorama; two FIRs filed by Delhi Police Scroll.
- Court: Interim relief on 24 January 2020; the case was listed for 28 February 2020 Newslaundry. No final judgment has been reported in the coverage reviewed for this page.
Questions people ask
Was the JNU fee hike rolled back?
Only in part. The deposit increase and curfew rules were dropped, BPL students got 50% off, and from January 2020 service and utility charges were not collected and the UGC was asked to pay them. The higher room rent stayed.
What happened on the JNU march to Parliament?
On 18 November 2019 police stopped the march near campus under prohibitory orders and detained about 100 students, who were later released. Students alleged a lathi-charge that hurt visually impaired students; Delhi Police denied using force.
What did the Delhi High Court decide?
On 24 January 2020 Justice Rajiv Shakdher let students who had not yet registered do so under the old hostel manual without late fees, and sought replies from JNU, the HRD ministry and the UGC. That was an interim order.
Sources
- Onmanorama/PTI: JNU students march towards Parliament, 100 detained, 18 Nov 2019
- Careers360: JNU March: students detained, metro stations closed (MHRD committee), 18 Nov 2019
- PTI via LatestLY: JNU students allege police brutality; cops deny charge, 18 Nov 2019
- Scroll: JNU visually challenged students stopped from going to police headquarters (report), 20 Nov 2019
- Onmanorama/PTI: HRD ministry panel meets JNU students, 20 Nov 2019
- India TV/PTI: HRD panel concludes meetings, to submit recommendations within a week, 22 Nov 2019
- Scroll: JNU defends fee hike, says it is facing fund deficit of over Rs 45 crore, 22 Nov 2019
- Scroll: JNU high-level committee offers another partial rollback, 25 Nov 2019
- Careers360: JNUSU rejects latest hostel fee proposal, 26 Nov 2019
- Careers360: JNU students protest at convocation attended by Vice President, 11 Nov 2019
- National Herald/IANS-PTI: JNU students protest against fee hike, police use water cannons, 11 Nov 2019
- Gulf News: JNU students taunt cops, confine minister, 11 Nov 2019
- Business Today: JNU announces partial roll-back in fee hike, 13 Nov 2019
- Onmanorama: JNU rollback comes with conditions, 13 Nov 2019
- Sentinel/IANS: After protests, JNU rolls back proposed hostel fee hike, 13 Nov 2019
- Outlook: Those skipping exams will cease to be bonafide students, says JNU, 4 Dec 2019
- Tribune/PTI: JNU students boycott end-semester exam, 12 Dec 2019
- Business Standard/PTI: JNU VC holds meeting with students, teachers; no headway, 12 Dec 2019
- The Wire: JNU attack, what the Delhi Police has done and what it hasn't, Jan 2020
- Scroll: HRD ministry rules out removal of JNU vice chancellor, 9 Jan 2020
- Scroll: JNU tells teachers to resume classes, Jan 2020
- MHRD release via EduIndex: Secretary Amit Khare holds meetings with JNU administration and students, 10 Jan 2020
- Tribune: JNU fee issue resolved, student agitation unjustified, says HRD Minister, 14 Jan 2020
- Tribune/IANS: JNUSU moves Delhi HC against late fees, 21 Jan 2020
- LiveLaw: Delhi HC issues notice on JNUSU plea against new hostel manual, 24 Jan 2020
- Tribune/PTI: HC seeks JNU stand on plea challenging IHA decision, 24 Jan 2020
- Newslaundry: Delhi High Court directs JNU to register students at old rates, 27 Jan 2020