JNU admin refuses to clear election committee's expenditure bills

New Delhi: Even after three months of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union elections (JNUSU), the Dean of Students (DOS) Umesh Kadam has not cleared the Election Committee's (EC's) expenditure bills. The JNUSU, in its Press release, has said that JNU EC had submitted election expenditure bills to DOS for clearance and release of money. Its clearance has been stalled by JNU administration, citing lack of funds.

JNUSU, in its press release, further alleges that JNU Election committee –which withstood intimidation, threats and violence –successfully conducted JNUSU elections in a completely free and fair manner. But, its members are allegedly being harassed by DOS Kadam.

"JNU VC and admin have all the funds they need to construct statues, to renovate their rooms, offices and buildings, and to increase funding on 'security'. Yet, when students ask for basic facilities and rights, the administration suddenly faces 'scarcity' of funds! There has been a massive 80 percent reduction in funds for the library. The admin hasn't disbursed MCM fellowships amounting to Rs 50 lakhs to MA-BA students. And now it says it doesn't have Rs 50,000 to pay vendors who have provided services to JNU EC to conduct the JNUSU election," said the release.

N Sai Balaji, president, JNUSU, said that, "Earlier, for the elections, usually some amount of cash was given to the EC, and later, the DOS cleared the remaining bills within 16-20 days of conclusion of elections. Now the administration has not cleared the bills for over a period of three months, claiming that they don't have funds."

He added that it is unfortunate that the JNU administration has collected huge sums of money from massive and disproportionate fines imposed on students for resisting and democratically protesting anti-student and anti-social justice policies of the JNU VC, and yet claims that it doesn't have money to pay election bills of the JNU EC.