Jamia Millia Islamia has agreed to set a process and timeline for restoring its student union, ending an 18-day protest and hunger strike over student representation at the Delhi university. The administration has also agreed to withdraw disciplinary action and campus-entry restrictions imposed in connection with the demonstrations.
According to an order issued by the university, the draft constitution for the Jamia Millia Islamia student union will be prepared by 15 May 2027. Once the constitution is approved, the university will issue a notification for elections in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee. The elections are to be held within six weeks of the start of the new academic session.
The administration’s decision followed several rounds of discussions between university representatives and protesting students. Students had been demanding a fixed deadline for restoring the union, with the issue remaining unresolved since elections were last held in 2006. The agreement gives the process a formal institutional timetable, although the final election date will depend on completion and approval of the constitution.
The committee preparing the draft constitution will include professors, legal experts and student representatives. The administration said representatives would be taken from each faculty to ensure student participation in the process. The arrangement is intended to provide a formal mechanism for students to contribute to the rules governing the proposed union.
The order also states that existing show-cause notices, disciplinary proceedings, expulsions, suspensions and campus-entry bans linked to participation in the protest will be withdrawn. The decision covers action taken during the demonstrations and hunger strike. The students will take a collective decision on formally ending the protest after internal discussions.
The university has meanwhile announced the resumption of offline classes and examinations. Registrar Mahtab Alam said online classes had been introduced during the agitation but that in-person teaching would resume after the Diwali break. The administration has asked students to return by 8 November. A separate notice said undergraduate and postgraduate classes would be conducted according to the schedules of the respective departments and faculties, while mid-semester and end-semester examinations would be held offline.
The protest involved students affiliated with or supported by groups including NSUI, AISA and SFI. Ebin Basil of NSUI, who had been on hunger strike for 18 days, described the agreement as a major victory for students. Rehan Mewati, who had been on hunger strike for 15 days, said the protest had affected his health before the administration accepted the demands. AISA said the students had secured a definite timeline for the union’s formation, while SFI’s Delhi state committee called the development a historic victory.
The immediate administrative steps are the withdrawal of protest-related action, the return to offline academic operations and the formation of the constitution-drafting process. The next formal milestone is the preparation of the draft constitution by 15 May 2027, followed by approval and an election notification under the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines.
