AISA flags SC, ST, PwD reservation shortfall in JNU, seeks edu ministry probe
The reservation policy in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) PhD admissions has come under scrutiny after the All India Students’ Association (AISA) alleged that 86 seats meant for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates were missing across six admission cycles.
In a letter dated October 31 to the Union Education Ministry, the student organisation sought an independent, time-bound inquiry into alleged irregularities in the implementation of reservation policies at the university.
AISA claimed that its analysis of 4,288 advertised PhD seats between Monsoon 2022 and Monsoon 2026 found a shortfall of 42 SC seats and 44 ST seats against their respective reservation quotas.86 SC/ST SEATS ALLEGEDLY MISSING
According to the organisation, around 322 seats should have been allocated to ST candidates under the 7.5 per cent reservation quota. However, only 278 were allocated.
Similarly, against an expected 643 seats under the 15 per cent SC quota, only 601 were allocated, AISA alleged.
The organisation also flagged the 2026-27 admission cycle. Of the 711 advertised PhD seats, only 38 were allocated to ST candidates against approximately 53 expected seats. For SC candidates, it claimed that 103 seats were advertised against an expected 107.
The PwD category also came under scrutiny, with AISA alleging that only 17 seats were advertised against an expected 36.
Figures are based on AISA's letter to the Education Ministry. Expected seat numbers are approximate. The six-cycle figures cover Monsoon 2022 to Monsoon 2026.56 OF 84 PROGRAMMES HAD NO ST SEATS
AISA further alleged that reservation gaps were particularly visible in individual PhD programmes.
According to its letter, 30 programmes with a combined intake of 351 seats had advertised no ST seats across four admission rounds. In the 2026-27 admission cycle alone, 56 of 84 programmes reportedly had no seats for ST candidates.
The organisation also questioned the handling of unfilled reserved vacancies. It cited the Centre for Spanish and Italian Studies, where an ST seat advertised in the 2025 Phase-II admission cycle was allegedly not carried forward into the 2026-27 advertisement despite no candidate being admitted against it.
The allegations extend beyond SC and ST reservations. Citing JNU's annual reports, AISA claimed that OBC student numbers fell from 2,975 in 2023-24 to 2,766 in 2024-25.
Their share of the total student population also declined from 37.20 per cent to 34.61 per cent, even as overall enrolment remained almost unchanged.
AISA has asked the Education Ministry to order an audit of SC/ST seat allocations, make JNU's complete PhD reservation roster public and disclose category-wise data on applications, interviews, selections and vacant seats.
It has also sought clarity on the use of the Not Found Suitable (NFS) provision and the implementation of recommendations made by the Rajiv Bhatt, Thorat and Nafey committees.
The letter was signed by AISA General Secretary Prasenjeet Kumar and President Neha.
The allegations and figures could not be independently verified from the material available. No response from JNU or the Education Ministry was included in the letter.- EndsRead | India's quota system under pressure as UNESCO flags 30% reserved posts lying vacantRead | Need to enforce reservation rules in higher education: Congress
