JMI suspends professor over teachers' association election

New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on Thursday suspended a professor for "unlawfully" taking up an assignment to conduct the teachers' association election without taking permission from the competent authority.

The university has also declared the notification issued by Sonya Surabhi Gupta of Centre for Spanish and Latin American Studies at JMI regarding the conduct of election, as "null and void" and dissolved the present teachers' association with immediate effect. However, Gupta has rejected all the allegations levelled against her, saying that she has not done anything unlawful.

A university official said that Gupta was appointed as returning officer by Jamia Teachers Association (JTA) office bearers whose tenure concluded in May this year. She issued a list of the candidates for the elections, the official informed. However, the university contended that her appointment is "unlawful" as she had not taken permission from the competent authority.

In a memo issued by Registrar Nazim Husain Al-Jafri on Thursday, the university said it informed Gupta that her appointment as returning officer is unlawful as the constitution of JTA has not been approved by the competent body.