Former SNDT Women’s University Mumbai vice chancellor (VC) Dr Chandra Krishnamurthy was appointed VC of NLU Cuttack, Orissa (NLUO) yesterday, and will assume office on Monday 30 April 2012.

Krishnamurthy replaces former NLUO VC professor Faizan Mustafa, who resigned to join Nalsar Hyderabad as VC with effect from 1 April 2012.

She is a former dean of Mumbai University’s faculty of law, and was part of the the Raghavan Committee that was appointed by the Supreme Court to examine ragging.

She is the second VC at the three-year old law school. The first VC, Mustafa, who joined Nalsar to replace former VC Prof Veer Singh, said: “Academics at NLUO is quite good and administratively also we are doing fine. But there has to be some speed with which administrative decisions are made.”

“Universities should not become bureaucratic and behave like government departments,” he added.

Krishnamurthy was appointed by NLUO Chancellor and the chief justice of Orissa High Court justice V Gopalagowda from a list of candidates shortlisted by a three-member search committee.

The three member search committee included NLS Bangalore’s VC professor Venkata Rao, former NLU Jodhpur VC Dr NL Mitra, and Orissa high court judge justice I Mahanty.

The leading four candidates interviewed for the position alongside Krishnamurthy were professor Satish Shastri from Modi Institute of Technology and Sciences, NLU Delhi professor Dr Amar Singh, NLSIU visiting faculty professor TV Subba Rao, and Dr TV Subramaniam, reported legal website Bar & Bench.