Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has terminated a professor accused of sexual harassment after an inquiry by the university’s internal committee found grounds for recommending major punishment. The dismissal was announced on Friday through an official order signed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit. The decision follows complaints filed by at least 11 students in May this year, who accused the professor of sexual misconduct.

The university said the dismissal was imposed after the inquiry process was completed and the available facts were considered. The professor has not responded to a request for comment on the decision. In its order, JNU stated that the action was taken in accordance with the service rules prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules. The university said the internal committee conducted an inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment and recommended major punishment based on its findings.

After considering the committee’s report and following the prescribed procedure, the university decided to dismiss the professor from service with immediate effect. The order formalised the disciplinary action and set out the regulatory framework under which the decision was taken. The order signed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit stated: “An inquiry was conducted by the internal committee (IC) against a professor, pursuant to allegations of sexual harassment.” It added that the committee had recommended major punishment based on its findings.

The order further said that, after due process and consideration of the available facts, the punishment of dismissal from university service was imposed with immediate effect. The university’s statement places the internal committee’s inquiry and recommendations at the centre of the decision. It does not, in the information provided, disclose the detailed findings of the committee or provide a full account of the allegations examined during the proceedings.

The complaints against the professor were filed by at least 11 students in May this year. The students accused him of sexual misconduct, prompting the university to constitute an internal complaints committee during the same month. The committee was tasked with examining the allegations under the university’s established process.

The number of complainants indicates that the inquiry involved allegations raised by multiple students, although the available information does not specify whether the complaints concerned separate incidents, overlapping allegations or a common pattern of alleged conduct. Details about the individual complaints and the evidence considered by the committee have not been made public in the information available.

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Internal committees play an important role in institutional procedures for addressing workplace and campus sexual harassment complaints. Such inquiries are intended to examine allegations, consider relevant information and make recommendations in accordance with the applicable rules. In this case, JNU said its committee recommended major punishment after conducting the inquiry. The university then imposed dismissal after considering the findings and following what it described as due process.

The order’s reference to UGC service rules and the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules identifies the regulatory provisions cited by the university in support of its action. The available details, however, do not include the full inquiry report, the committee’s reasoning or the specific evidence on which its recommendation was based.

The professor has not responded to a request for comment on the termination. No response from the professor was included in the information released about the decision. The university’s order confirms that the dismissal takes effect immediately, but the available account does not state whether the professor intends to challenge the decision or pursue any further legal or administrative remedy. It also does not provide information about any separate proceedings connected to the complaints. The allegations and the committee’s conclusions should therefore be understood in the context of the university’s stated disciplinary process and the details formally disclosed in its order.

The termination marks the conclusion of the internal inquiry process described by JNU and represents a formal disciplinary decision against the professor. The case also highlights the procedures universities use to address allegations of sexual harassment involving students and faculty members. For students, such mechanisms provide a channel through which complaints can be formally examined; for institutions, they create a framework for reviewing allegations and determining disciplinary consequences under applicable rules.

In this instance, the university said it acted on the internal committee’s recommendation after following due process. Further details about the committee’s findings and any subsequent challenge to the dismissal have not been provided.

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