JNU rusticates student leader Swati again

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has once again rusticated PhD scholar and student leader Swati Singh just months after the Delhi High Court set aside a similar disciplinary action. Singh, president of the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) and former councillor of the JNU Students’ Union, was rusticated on April 28 over alleged misconduct involving a security guard.

According to the university’s order, Singh was found guilty in a fresh proctorial inquiry of “being involved in an argument and physical violence” with a female security guard on August 29, 2023. The university has rusticated her for two semesters and declared her “out of bounds” with immediate effect.

This action follows the High Court’s February 7 directive, which had quashed her earlier rustication from November 2023 and instructed the university to reinstate her academics and hostel facilities.

Speaking to a news agency, Singh said, “Though my academics were reinstated after the court order, I never got my hostel back. Now I’ve been rusticated again, and my scholarship will stop. How am I supposed to afford rent or continue my research?”