JNU admin rejected my dissertation without Aadhaar number: Former JNUSU V-P

Former JNUSU Vice President Shehla Rashid Friday alleged that her dissertation was not accepted by the varsity as she did not produce her Aadhaar number on the submission form.

"The JNU administration has sent back my dissertation to my centre because I haven't mentioned my Aadhaar number on the submission form," Rashid said, adding that the varsity was pushing Aadhaar through the backdoor despite there being no mandate for it.

Alike Rashid's, dissertations of others students who did not provide their UID numbers were also sent back in the recent past.

However, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said mentioning Aadhaar was made mandatory in JNU after the UGC issued a notification on March 21.

"Following a March 21 UGC notification this year, in April we issued a circular that Aadhaar and photograph will be printed on the certificate of the student as it will be deposited in National Academic Depository (NAD) system," Kumar said.

UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu in a notification issued on March 21 to Vice Chancellors of all the varsities said - "I request you to introduce identification mechanisms like photograph and Unique lD/Aadhaar number in students' certificates.

"Such inscriptions, you'd agree, will go a long way in uniformly marking a student's personal identity and other associated details."

However, Rashid contended that making Aadhaar mandatory was "illegal" as the government was yet to respond to privacy concerns.

"I'm not going to give in to this illegal harassment tactic of the JNU administration. I don't have an Aadhaar card, and I insist that my dissertation should be submitted without it," she said.