Delhi University teachers oppose the mandatory Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system, calling it coercive and undignified, and warn that linking attendance with salaries undermines academic autonomy and professional dignity.
Teachers of the University of Delhi have strongly objected to the mandatory implementation of an Aadhaar-Based Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS), describing it as coercive, arbitrary, and detrimental to academic autonomy. The opposition follows a recent university communication warning that salaries could be withheld from January 2026 onwards if employees fail to comply with the Aadhaar-linked attendance requirement.
In a detailed letter addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, members of the Academic for Action and Development Teachers’ Association (AADTA), along with representatives from statutory bodies, criticised the move as an attempt to discipline faculty through intimidation rather than dialogue. The letter comes after the university directed all teaching and non-teaching staff to mark attendance through the biometric system, with deans, heads of departments, and officers instructed to ensure compliance to avoid disciplinary action.
Calling the directive “arbitrary” and “intimidating,” the teachers argued that linking attendance to salary undermines the dignity of the teaching profession. “Salary is a legitimate right earned through service and cannot be withheld as a punitive measure,” the letter stated, adding that the warning has generated widespread anxiety and unrest among faculty members.
The association also pointed out that mechanisms for faculty accountability already exist under University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, university ordinances, and long-established academic norms. Teaching, they argued, involves a wide range of responsibilities that extend beyond classroom hours. “Teaching, research, examinations, fieldwork, extension activities and academic responsibilities cannot be reduced to biometric marking,” the letter emphasised.
AADTA further highlighted what it termed a contradiction in the university’s position. According to the teachers, they had earlier been informed that the proposal to impose biometric attendance had been dropped. “The continued enforcement of administrative instructions clearly contradicts that claim,” the letter noted.
Another major objection raised was the university’s reference to colleges as “units” in official communications. The association argued that colleges are statutory academic institutions and should not be administratively reduced to generic units, calling this terminology an erosion of institutional autonomy.
The teachers also criticised the manner in which the decision was implemented, describing it as “governance by diktat rather than democratic deliberation.” They maintained that any proposal affecting service conditions must be discussed through statutory bodies and arrived at through meaningful consultation with stakeholders.
AADTA has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Aadhaar-based biometric attendance requirement, a clear assurance that no salary will be withheld on this basis, and the initiation of constructive dialogue between the university administration and the teaching community.
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Richa Choudhary
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