Jawaharlal Nehru University's teachers' association has accused the vice-chancellor of advancing a plan to hand over the Gomti Guest House to the Indian Council of World Affairs under the Ministry of External Affairs amid financial difficulties. The administration has denied the charges, noting that a committee is examining optimal use of resources. The issue arises as the university seeks new revenue without raising fees.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is grappling with a financial deficit, raising questions about the management of its assets. On Friday, the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) issued a statement accusing Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit of quietly advancing a plan to transfer the university's Gomti Guest House in Central Delhi to the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), an organization under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The guest house, located near the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) building on Tansen Marg, has been under discussion since July 2025, following a meeting between the vice-chancellor and ICWA's Director General. JNUTA questioned why the proposal was not placed before the university's Executive Council, described as the custodian of university property.
A JNU official refuted the claims, stating that ICWA had requested use of the facility. The university has set up a committee to suggest possibilities for optimum utilization of government resources.
This row echoes prior tensions. In August 2024, the administration explored leasing the property to offset mounting maintenance costs. That month, the Jawaharlal Nehru Students' Union (JNUSU) held a ten-day protest, with former president Nitish Kumar alleging preparations to sell the Gomti Guest House to raise funds for campus operations and potentially rent other parts for commercial purposes.
In a previous Facebook post, JNU noted its low fees—as little as Rs 10 and Rs 20—leading to negligible internal receipts, unlike other central universities that generate 20-30% of their budgets internally. The Ministry of Education subsidizes growing student and research needs, but the university struggles to meet rising costs for infrastructure, books, digital resources, and research materials. The administration stressed the need for public-private partnerships to create stable revenue without fee increases.
