New Delhi, March 10 The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) on Tuesday questioned the appointment of senior IAS officer Rohit Kansal as an "Honorary Special Fellow" at the university, claiming it was done without the approval of the Executive Council, in violation of its statutes.
There has been no immediate response from the JNU administration on the matter.
The university had posted the announcement of Kansal's appointment on its official social media account on X on Monday.
"Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice Chancellor, JNU, is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Rohit Kansal (IAS, 1995 Batch), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, as Honorary Special Fellow at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Centre for Security & Strategic Studies, SIS, JNU.
"This appointment recognizes his distinguished service and expertise. We look forward to his valuable contributions to academic discourse at JNU," the post said.
The university's teachers' body claimed that there is no such position at JNU, and under the JNU statutes, the Executive Council (EC) is the sole authority responsible for creating positions and making appointments to positions within the University, acting through prescribed procedures and statutory bodies.
A press release by JNUTA said that without the approval of the EC, the announcement of the appointment would be illegal.
"Therefore, the JNUTA demands that the Vice Chancellor should clarify how she has bestowed powers upon herself to make this appointment, flouting all relevant statutes, and should immediately withdraw the announcement of this illegal appointment," it said.