Jamia Millia Islamia has agreed to set a timeline for restoring student-union elections, withdraw disciplinary action linked to an 18-day protest and resume offline classes from November 9, following negotiations between the university administration and protesting students.
Under an order issued by the university, the process to prepare and approve a constitution for the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union will be completed by May 15, 2027. Once the constitution is approved, the university will issue an election notification in line with the recommendations and guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee.
The administration has also agreed that student-union elections will be held within six weeks of the start of the new academic session. The order identifies the new session as beginning on July 16, 2027, although the election schedule will be governed by the applicable Lyngdoh Committee guidelines and the university’s notification.
The decision follows protests and hunger strikes by students demanding the restoration of the union and a clear deadline for the process. According to the report, students had been demonstrating for 18 days before the administration and student representatives reached an agreement through several rounds of talks. The protest and hunger strike were subsequently ended after students discussed the decision collectively.
The order further states that existing show-cause notices, disciplinary proceedings, expulsions, suspensions and campus-entry restrictions issued in connection with participation in the protest will be withdrawn. The administration had shifted classes online during the agitation. Registrar Mehtab Alam said students had been asked to return by November 8, after which offline teaching would resume.
The proposed constitution committee will include professors, legal experts and student representatives from each faculty, according to Alam. He said the inclusion of student representatives was intended to ensure participation in the drafting process and provide space for students’ views.
Jamia has not held student-union elections since 2006. The prolonged gap has made the election demand a continuing issue of campus representation and institutional participation. The administration’s latest order does not immediately restore an elected union; it establishes a process, deadline and election framework that will have to be completed before voting can take place.
Students involved in the hunger strike described the agreement as a major victory. Ebin Basil of the National Students’ Union of India, who had been on hunger strike for 18 days, said the decision would be remembered in Jamia’s history. Another protesting student, Rehan Mewati, said his health had deteriorated during the 15-day hunger strike but that the administration’s acceptance of the demands had ended the standoff.
The All India Students’ Association and the Students’ Federation of India also welcomed the order, describing it as a result of the students’ sustained mobilisation. The immediate administrative steps are the withdrawal of protest-related action and the return to offline classes on November 9. The next major milestone is the completion of the student-union constitution process by May 15, 2027.
