The search committee for the new vice chancellor (VC) of NLU Delhi is likely to meet early next month, according to a source with knowledge of the process.
Contrary to rumours (mostly in LI comments), no shortlist has been drawn up for the post yet at present and the search committee has not yet met to consider any applications.
Neither (contrary to anonymous comments and speculation) has NLU Delhi Prof Mrinal Satish applied for the post. “Absolutely not,” he told us by phone today when asked. “Neither have I applied, nor am I interested.”
That said, Satish will be returning to NLU Delhi full-time, after his stint as chairperson of the Delhi Judicial Academy (DJA) since 20 December 2018.
The 2001 NLSIU Bangalore graduate and 2007 Yale Law School LLM confirmed that he had informed the Delhi high court recently that he would like to resign from the DJA to focus on his teaching and academics by the end of the year (Satish’s appointment had been challenged by an NGO claiming he did not require requisite 30 years of teaching experience for the post, although the Delhi high court’s chief justice has wide powers to relax those requirements).
Who’ll be the next Ranbir?
As far as who will be next VC at NLU Delhi, the field remains wide open.
NLSIU 1994 graduate and Texas A&M University law professor Srividhya Ragavan has confirmed to Bar & Bench that she had been “tapped up” for the post of VC at NLU Delhi and asked to provide qualifications, while “reliable sources” had told B&B that NLU Odisha VC Prof Srikrishna Deva Rao and Prof PS Jaswal were also “contenders” for the post.
We have not been able to independently confirm current applicants for the position.
The entire application process for the position is being coordinated online by the convenor of the search committee, which is Delhi high court Justice GS Sistani, and it is understood that snail-mail applications are being forwarded from NLU Delhi directly to the high court office responsible for the process.
The two academics on the search committee are NLU Jabalpur VC Prof Balraj Chauhan, NLIU Bhopal VC Prof V Vijaykumar.
Comments
Kian are you sure that FM has not applied or been tapped? Also strange that SKDR is applying but not GSB.
GSB has applied. Though not stranged that KDR has - he has 6 years as VC, and Jaiswal as 10 years. There are also rumours that Bimpa has applied, and so has Kamla Sankran.
I'd be really surprised if FM applied - he seems very happy at Nalsar...
By the way, have you read: https://abovethelaw.com/2016/04/a-farewell-to-comments/
Inspired?
Kian: "Hello Professor Kumar, I am Mr Kian Ganz from Legally India. Will you be the next Maharashtra governor?"
Kumar: "Which ch****a is this calling?"
Neither is he eligible for nlud vc post. He was made prof only 2 to 3 years ago while the ugc rule requires 10 years as professor for vcship. It is laughable to see (in comments) many people these days saying abt people who do not meet the basic elegibility conditions "he is not interested". Nothing against these people they r competent but must first meet the conditions set by the appropriate bodies or change them first in the advertisement for a public office.
https://nludelhi.ac.in/pep-fac-new-pro.aspx?Id=2115
Jokes apart... if not now, someday he will surely get a VC position or perhaps something even better, which he very well deserves and has worked for!
1) Research focus: She has an excellent publication record (superior even to Sudhir's) and will make this a priority for sure.
2) Stronger industry ties: She is an extroverted person (unlike Sudhir) and will build better networks. She also has industry practice experience and contacts.
3) International ties: A collaboration with Texas A&M Is certain.
4) Better faculty: Good faculty will not leave as people had feared. Now, more NLU alumni faculty will join.
5) IP hub: She will be a change from the usual constitutional law/human rights-law focused VCs. NLUD will become a hub for IP scholarship. They already have two good IP people in the faculty (Arul Scaria and Yogesh Pai)
6) Reputation/perception improves: Just as Sudhir's appointment has improved NLSIU's perception, her appointment will too.
7) NIRF ranking: NLUD will have a very realistic chance of becoming #1 in NIRF in the next 3-4 years. NLSIU's monopoly cannot be guaranteed forever.
8) Lead over NALSAR, NUJS and other NLUs: The gap between NLUD and other NLUs will clearly widen.
9) Future VC appointments: More NLU alumni will be encouraged to apply for VC vacancies elsewhere. Student bodies may also push for alumni VC appointments.
10) International rankings push: US law schools are very focused towards rankings. If she brings that culture she may seriously bid for a place in the QS or Times rankings.
- Does she possess any administrative experience? (her profile [https://law.tamu.edu/faculty-staff/find-people/faculty-profiles/srividhya-ragavan] does not suggest any). In Sudhir's case at least he established the APU LLM and then managed it. Only asking this and its important because a VC's primary job is administrative and a lot of it involved dealing with the state government (in this case Delhi and the judiciary). It will also require day to day management internally sorting a lot of administrative and faculty issues.
Best to be critical and judge each candidate on their own accomplishments
The other point was about getting a "Bengali" VC and it was made abundantly clear what Bengali they had in mind. MKS (irrespective of whether he is more old guard than a young Turk) got strong hints from various sources to stay away and many in the faculty, including his "friends", skewered his chances.
Lord Taluk and his friends in the EC ensured that by dragging out things, the better candidates stay away from even applying. The search committee wouldn't "tap" anyone or entertain choices that had not been filtered by agents of the state.
Soon enough it was clear that SSC was the political favourite but students were lucky to get some solid evidence against that choice. Also many in the "party" and their friends in the HC were not comfortable with the "illustrious record" of SSC. Once the state govt determined that NKC was no longer using sickle (and hammer) and instead enthusiastically eating grass (of a particular variety), the choice was locked and the late charge for VCV was foiled who lacked local connections.
Also note NUJS had Justice Arun Mishra as the Chair of the selection committee.
Rumor has it..
Sudhir is tapping on the shoulders of most NLS alumni academics for a ghar wapasi. I would be curious to see how persuasive he can truly be.
https://law.tamu.edu/faculty-staff/find-people/faculty-profiles/srividhya-ragavan
1. Tarunabh Khaitan, Oxford
2. Lavanya Rajamani, Oxford
3. Dev Gangjee, Oxford
4. Prabha Kotiswaran, King's
5. Shyam Balganesh, Penn
6. Neha Jain, EUI Florence
7. Deepa Badrinarayana, Chapman University
Even with NLS alum - it’s just a different tribe winning for once.
Yes their tech and science programmes are good- but that means next to nothing when it’s a law school appointment we’re talking about.
She’s okay - I have no real quarrel with rankings and stuff - I think most rankings are pointless. But if you’re relying on rankings to say oxford and Texas are the same - they simply aren’t.
11 appointed or about to be appointed in 2019: NLSIU Bengaluru, NLU Delhi, NUJS Kolkata, GNLU Gandhinagar, HNLU Raipur, NUALS Kochi, MNLU Mumbai, MNLU Aurangabad, NLU Ranchi, TNNLU Trichy, NLU Sonipat.
Next vacancy/renewal due in 2023/2024.
7 appointed in 2018: NLIU Bhopal, RMLNLU Lucknow, NLUO Cuttack (renewal), CNLU Patna, DSNLU Vishakapatnam, DNLU Jabalpur, HPNLU Shimla.
Next vacancy/renewal due in 2022/2023.
2 appointed in 2017: NALSAR and NLUJ (renewal)
Next vacancy/renewal due in 2021/2022.
3 appointed in 2016: RGNUL (renewal), NLU Nagpur, NLU Assam.
Next vacancy/renewal due in 2020.
Thus, after NLUD and TNNLU the focus shifts next year to RGNUL Patiala, NLU Nagpur and NLU Guwahati. Patiala and Nagpur could attract good names as they are in prominent states. Not true for Guwahati, unless the government specially invites local boy Shubhankar Dam or promotes a young prof in his/her 30s.
1. Cracked the whip on scammy adhoc faculty. Rumour is that some of them have also been given marching orders, while another volunteered to resign knowing they could not measure up
2. Academic review committee actually working, setting overall directions for courses, testing seminars and electives against a high standard of review before being offered
3. Complete digitisation of course material, communications (continuing from the small measures of late RVR regime)
4. Student wellness measures - PE, sports
5. Reducing wasteful expenses - electricity, water, excess contractual support staff being dismissed
6. Outreach already commenced with alumni for courses, mentorship etc
Of course, all of this isn't popular with the very SBA that protested to get him there. Yet, some things are definitely happening. Remains to be seen how successful they will be.
Regarding the academic review, how is that done? Are external subject experts being consulted with?
Regarding digitization, do you mean the study material are being scanned? Because they are usually compilation of articles, book chapters etc. Some of that would be in soft copy, but some I'm assuming would have been photocopied from hard copy material.
4 and 6 are TBH really standard stuff. Doesn't really require exceptional VCs, right? A well-active student body can and should do it even. Especially with an already active alumni body like law school's. They do have the best network of all NLUs indisputably.
ARC, I don't mean the StudAd thing that is used for project writing improvement. I mean the body of teachers that review the course outlines offered by each faculty member for the coming term. Now, there are strict guidelines about how courses need to be structured, goals to be identified, and teaching plans to be set out. Earlier only some teachers took this responsibility seriously (Rahul Singh, Kunal, some visiting/guest teachers). The rest just threw in whatever garbage they could think of (most adhocs, some visiting/guest). The latter have been rejected at the stage of course offering itself. This also has a signalling effect, about Point 1. Seeing that higher standards are being demanded, one adhoc submitted a resignation letter, another 2-3 have been told that their contracts are not being renewed. In any case, they're not offering any courses.
As for better teachers, yes it will take time. But its not as though alumni are all incredible. For instance, Prof Pillai (even in his [...] final years before retirement) was leagues ahead of the irresponsible alum they got to teach corp to the 2021 batch. Thankfully, now Rahul Singh has taken it over. CPC/DPC was in a quagmire after Prof Reddy's retirement, with the former judge teaching it for a while - this was definitely not ideal. The course was haphazard and very old school. The new teacher (an alum) is excellent, and looks like he's here to stay.
(4), yes. RVR was completely on board with student-led initiatives. But Sudhir seems to be keen to take a "lead from the front" approach, with the focus on mental wellness. (6) is easier said than done. Glad to see he's taking initiative.
@firstGuest: cracked the whip in many ways:
1. Signalling - that higher standards are required, at every stage. The scammiest ad-hocs will be scared (at the minimum) or actually strive to improve (best case)
2. Student feedback which was meticulously being compiled over the years is being used to assess them, coupled with other methods like sitting in on classes, reviewing coursepacks, seeing published work etc
3. Complete digitisation, yes. The portal has all material needed for the course - articles, book chapters, essays. Earlier, hard copies were complied by the lib/ED based on the teacher's recommendation. Now, the relevant material is uploaded on the portal by the library. Printing is purely optional and at the insistence of individual students only.
He doesn't enjoy the confidence of "almost every student". People are all round frustrated, just that they know they can't complain much (since the recent protest was to get Sudhir) and that it is generally difficult to complain against someone with the credentials of Sudhir (unlike Nandi, Ramesh etc). Some highlights:
1. Shutting down the academic block. Allegedly to save on "electricity costs", but come on. That's the place people chill at. If cost is the issue, then why spend MORE money to create a community space near the library
2. Willy nilly firing of support staff. The janitorial staff at Law School are the most vulnerable, and they've been unceremoniously dismissed to "save money". Lo and behold, only the contractual ones have actual been fired. How convenient. Reduction in security personnel by hiring fewer guards, wow. So much for making the campus a safe space.
3. Timings - citing aforementioned self-created staff shortage in the guards department to bar access through Gates 2 and 3, after 11pm. Now everyone has to enter through Gate 1, after say a late night out.
4. Plan to shut down the field for non-athletic late night recreation
5. Hiring new faculty - he keeps saying its happening, but nothing has been conveyed to the students in this regard
6. Fewer student involvement in decision making, especially in soliciting teachers for seminars and electives.
AND SO ON.
Whatever be the case, its clear that there is widespread anti-Sudhir resentment now.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/ranchi-law-student-abducted-and-gang-raped-12-arrested/articleshow/72286376.cms
https://twitter.com/Abhilas01325247/status/1200319244027588610
A few years ago a NLSIU PG student was raped near to campus. The knee-jerk reaction will be to "lock down" in the name of protection. Don't "protect" but take steps to empower the victim as also others on campus - law or non-law, NLU or non-NLU
Everyone has to matter, or nobody matters.
https://barandbench.com/delhi-hc-issues-notice-in-plea-to-remove-prof-gs-bajpai-as-registrar-of-nlu-d/
I salute your courage and untiring efforts to clean the system and your fight against favouritism in the name of merit.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/teachers-allege-violations-in-law-varsity-recruitment/articleshow/72267768.cms
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/tn-law-student-found-guilty-sexual-harassment-survivors-unhappy-punishment-108429
https://livelaw.in/news-updates/delhi-hc-issues-notice-on-plea-to-remove-nlu-delhi-registrar-read-petition-150297
By the way, I never really understood why NLU Ranchi, the MNLUs and others gave way to DNLU to conduct CLAT 2020? Have the terms changed in the new MoU? Also where does one get full financial figures on CLAT since its inception? Approach each of the the convening NLUs? What about the CLAT Secretariat housed in NLSIU?
Can someone please help with the details on preferred payment options (other than cash) and to whom should the IPO/DD or NEFT payments get addressed? For example, in the case of NUJS while the application is addressed to the PIO, the payment is in favour of the Accounts Officer. They also give clear details for making online application and payment
1. It is laughable to say that it is easier to become a professor in the US than India. The exact opposite is true. Furthermore, seniority is not given as a condition in the job advertisement.
2. Her industry experience should also count.
3. Most importantly, her publications must count, especially the quality of the journals.
4. To the clown/troll commenting on Texas A&M University: It is ranked #8 in the US in IP law. Furthermore, her SJD is from GWU, which us ranked #5 in the US for IP law. Her LLM was from King's College London, which is one of the few UK colleges to offer a specialised IP law LLM. She also secured the prestigious Commonwealth scholarship for her LLM. She has consistently focused only in the IP field. Is that your problem? What's wrong in having a single specialisation if you are a top expert in it? And where does it say that only consti/public law scholars must be VCs?
Without looking at IP specifically - these unis wouldn’t make high rankings anywhere. If that matters to one. And someone gets the commonwealth fellowship every year. It’s not that much of an achievement- maybe it was back in the day.
It doesn’t to me matter what the rankings of the institution she is associated with, nor eve what scholarships she has won.
Does she have a history of impactful research and writing? I don’t know about this - prestigious journals for sure- but impactful?
Has she mentored and taught enough students well? Does she have the experience working in administration of a law university? Does she show sensitivity to the problems indian students might face?
Her practice experience should count yes - but definitely not as much as her academic experience. You’re not hiring her to practice law, you’re hiring her to be an academic - more than that- to build a university.
I’m sorry but in that context - for someone to go to a kcl or an lse - those are basically finishing schools for the privileged- networking opportunities more than spaces for serious scholarship - there really isn’t two ways about it.
Have you met many commonwealth scholars? I have - each one dumber than the last - it’s worse for Fulbright scholars. Have you sat for these interviews ? I have - anyone else who has will also tell you that it has less to do with merit and more to do with “fit”/ the applicants politics.
I’m not saying any of this matters - SR might be absolutely wonderful in other ways - if someone can actually speak to how she has done on any of the questions I mentioned I would be happy to listen - but if you’re gonna say this ranking stuff matters- someone is gonna call you on it.
Exactly this university was nowhere like four years ago - and you’re up here comparing it to oxford? For real?
I’ll go even further than that - Upendra Baxi also left Warwick for jgls - does that mean jgls is better? Come on! Think about what you’re saying for one second.
And here’s a counter example- when Lawrence Lessig left Stanford for Harvard - he took a huge part of Stanford’s Tech law cred with him - that is what actually involved professors do. Like actual star professors who are worth the title. And on the other hand you have 8th best for one specialisation and 83rd over all- does not equal oxford - like at all. To think it does is a mediocre mans wish fulfilment.
So who exactly is allowed to criticise this elitism? My expensive education? What makes you think I paid anything for my education?
It is not arrogant to point out that these scholarships serve more as shorthand for status than true merit. It is the opposite of that.
The people on here claiming that going to a foreign university or getting a scholarship automatically makes one the best candidate for being the VC - who can’t stand the idea of one of their own being scrutinised - of the institutions they aspire to being accurately assessed- those are the arrogant people.
If SR hadn’t gone to a foreign university and hadn’t earned any scholarships - that would have been fine by me - as long as people supporting her candidature could prove that she’s actually prepared for and good at the job. But people here chose to rely on the ranking of institutions she has been associated with, and the scholarships she has earned - so it becomes very pertinent to ask exactly what these rankings mean and what the standard for these scholarships are.
I honestly can’t remember the last time these scholarships went to someone actually needy and deserving- they go to the same privileged kids from metro cities with conservative politics. And I’m done calling that meritorious.
As for anonymity- that is my choice. I know what speaking the truth publicly does in circles like the one I belong to. I have no reason to invite that upon myself.
I’m not calling myself some super smart genius- you assumed that. And humility in the absence of truth is just called being spineless. And just as much as anyone else gets to have an opinion on this - I do too. The only reason everyone is so riled up about this is because I only said what every nls student says in their dorm room - this stuff, these “achievements “- they’re just not a big deal.
[quote]I honestly can’t remember the last time these scholarships went to someone actually needy and deserving
[/quote]
Now we get to the root of his anger....LOL.
Also, you say that you attended " an actually prestigious foreign university". Mind telling us which "actually prestigious" college it is?
My hunch is you're probably from a tier 2 NLU and went for an LLM (if at all) to a university that's not in the top 20 in QS. No NLSIU/NALSAR grad would talk like this because they know which of their alumni have got Commonwealth and Fulbright.
[img]https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2019/09/06/TELEMMGLPICT000208579687_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqrWYeUU_H0zBKyvljOo6zlkbgHFEZVI1Pljic_pW9c90.jpeg[/img]
https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/pil-in-delhi-high-court-accusing-nlu-registrar-of-nepotism-seeking-his-removal/story-4uDgeUAWrd2vEn0snPXe6M.html
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/pil-in-hc-accusing-nlu-delhi-registrar-of-nepotism-seeking-his-removal/1674003
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/high-court-issues-notice-to-national-law-university/article30133100.ece
http://sja.nujs.edu/newsroom/2019/12/01/in-solidarity-with-jnu-2
So let's look at the ideal VCs for this crowd: Nandimath at NLSIU, NKC at NUJS, Jaswal at NLUD!!
I don’t see anyone saying that the old guard should be in charge - I only see people asking if we can approach the new guard with the same critical thinking. People getting offended about this should really reconsider why the NLU brand matters so much to them.
1. Kindly state if US citizen or green card holder?
2. There is no PhD degree. Does UGC recognise non-PhD persons?
3. Professor appointment is in 2009, so 10 years completion will be by date of job advertisement or no per UGC norms? Kindly give exact dates.
4. Teaching experience is shown in NALSAR and NLSIU. Kindly give exact dates and date of clearing UGC NET.
5. ISBN numbers are not given for publications. Kindly provide.
https://law.tamu.edu/faculty-staff/find-people/faculty-profiles/srividhya-ragavan
Get therapy.
Like I have said time and again - If one can prove that she is a capable sensitive administrator and a serious impactful academic- everyone would welcome her including me. But that is not the proof we are offered today- instead it is markers of status.
Who said leftists can’t be elite? Or science students ? Dyou know the history of either of those fields ? How dominated by the elite they have been? Doesn’t make them less elite.
The comment was aimed specifically at the law schools - and their oppressive history of exclusion and elitism shouldn’t be ratified as merit when you’re evaluating people from there today.
The rest is just your amazing imagination.
Why do I get the feeling that the avg NLSIU student is the poor mazdoor who idealistically took part in an agitation, believed in the cause but got short-circuited in realpolitik transactions between the owners, management and the union leadership. And that's how the cookie crumbles.
Condoning year losses is a low hanging fruit that is almost always plucked by every new VC looking to establish their fiefdom. Not suggesting that students should not be given relief where due (of course that again is open to interpretation and that's where those with power perform magic).
This isn't about what Messiah can and will do. Messiah will always act in self-interest. This is about us who are so easily waylaid by acts of Messiah magic. Actually we are so smitten by the idea (and now the reality) of Messiah that we let ourselves to be f****d over.
1. Whether publications and international credentials is given preference to seniority, like it happened with Sudhir at NLSIU (if yes, then Srividhya #1, if not then Jaswal #1).
2. Whether the petition by NLUD student seeking past administrative controversies are considered (if yes, then Srividhya #1, if not then Jaswal or Rao #1).
3. Whether wider expertise in constitutional and public law is considered more important for a VC than niche expertise in IP law (if yes, then Jaswal #1, if not then Srividhya #1). .