NLU Odisha gets DU top Prof, ex-dean Ved Kumari as new VC from shortlist incl Rao, Nagaraj, Alam [UPDATE-2]

Monday, 22 February 2021 By Legally India Law schools

NLU Odisha in Cuttack, whose former vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Srikrishna Deva Rao had joined NLU Delhi in September 2020, will be appointing his replacement with Delhi University’s law faculty former dean and head, Prof Ved Kumari.

Kumari had been law dean at Delhi University (DU) until 2016, when she had resigned in protest over alleged stone-walling of faculty appointments and other inaction by the university’s senior administration.

She has continued teaching at DU and was due for retirement in August of this year.

When contacted, she confirmed her appointment and said she had been busy with research, writing, teaching, webinar and training.

In terms of her plans for NLU Odisha, she said it was still too early, but noted: “Plans will be made after I get to know about the Univ after being on ground. I believe in continuous process of learning and unlearning.”

Update: The selection committee consisted of RMNLU Lucknow VC Prof SK Bhatnagar, Nalsar Hyderabad VC Prof Faizan Mustafa and Justice AK Patnaik.

Out of a total of 41 candidates applying for the position, eight were shortlisted, including a number of former VCs of other NLUs.

Update 23 February 2021: We understand that the longer shortlist of eight included well-known names that either applied or had been nominated:

former NLSIU Bangalore VC Venkat Rao,
ex-NLUO VC Prof V Nagaraj,
DSNLU Prof Rajendra Prasad (former Acharya Nagarjuna University VC),
NLIU Bhopal senior Prof Ghayur Alam,
JNU Prof VG Hegde,
Delhi University’s Prof VK Ahuja, and
Bennett University head of law and Prof Sridhar Acharyulu.

Ved KumariWork history From: Apr 1985: Professor of Law, University of Delhi From: Sep 2016: Dean and Head, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi (Delhi Area) From: Apr 2016: Professor-in-Charge, Law Centre 1, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi From: Jun 2010: Fellow, Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Canada 2011 - Jun 2016: Member, Academic Council, Indian Law Institute 2013 - 2015: Member, International Juvenile Justice Observatory (IJJO) 2013 - 2015: Member, International Juvenile Justice Observatory (IJJO) 2013 - 2015: Member, International Juvenile Justice Observatory Aug 2012 - Oct 2013: Professor-in-Charge, Law Centre-I, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi (Delhi) Jun 2011 - Dec 2012: Member, Sectoral Innovation Council, Ministry of Law and Justice Jul 2009 - Jul 2011: Chairperson, Delhi Judicial Academy Jul 2009 - Jul 2011: Chairperson, Delhi Judicial AcademyEducation 1965 - 1972: GGHSS No.1, Model Town, Delhi, Higher Secondary School, Arts 1981 - 1992: Delhi University, Ph.D., Juvenile Justice System in India

Comments

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 15:11

+13 -8

Congrats to NLUO-ites! In fact, two good news for Odisha this month, with ILI and NLUO VC. It shows that even a small state can do better than a big state if there are people who take initiative.

Searcher 22 Feb 2021, 17:14

+17 -1

Really, it is a good news for NLU-O. She comes from D.U. where she earned the reputation of being a hard taskmaster like Prof. S. N. Singh.
Who were other two Professors in the panel of candidates?
The Chief Justice of Odisha deserves all appreciation for quick appointment of the VC.

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 17:56

Troll

+4 -4

Very sad that jealous trolls from other colleges are downvoting comment 1. I wonder which NLUs they could be?

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 02:42

+3 -1

What about ILI? I didn't get it.

lol 23 Feb 2021, 08:29

Contested

+9 -4

Academic reputation isn't everything when it comes to being a VC though. Ask any NLS student and they'll tell you how terrible a VC sudhir is

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 15:09

+1 -1

ILI was inaugurated on Saturday.

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 15:19

+6 -25

Top 3 NLU VCs right now in terms of academic reputation:

1. Sudhir Krishnaswamy - NLSIU
2. Ved Kumari - NLUO
3. VC Vivekandandan - HNLU

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 16:04

+17 -2

Who holds VCV in equivalent academic esteem comparable to the other two, other than you?

Haha 23 Feb 2021, 10:21

+4 -0

Aa gaye tum fir se?

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 15:24

+10 -2

High time the good DU profs go to NLUs. DU CLC is a hotbed of thugs and criminals. See this video of DU CLC students abusing Prof Ved Kumari in filthy language, as she debarred students with low attendance.

[youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei2mKmDtBZM [/youtube]

Agent of Chaos 23 Feb 2021, 04:34

+6 -3

The DU students who publicly abused their teachers like this will live long enough to regret what they did. As they get older, they will realise the folly of their actions and words. We need more honest and upright Professors such as Dr. Ved Kumari to do the right thing at our public universities.

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 07:28

+1 -3

This guy will probably end up as a future minister.

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 16:47

+12 -4

Finally library will be constructed, hostels will not leak in rains and ACs will run in classes. Or is too much to hope??

Optimism 22 Feb 2021, 17:06

+34 -6

And you will finally start studying also, too much hope?

Controversial 22 Feb 2021, 17:16

+15 -2

Lets hope library is constructed at NLUO. She should focus on imbibing academic culture at NLUO. There is too much focus on doing moots in NLUO with students not even being aware of basic concepts in law.

Lazy 22 Feb 2021, 18:42

+7 -1

Lets hope she stops the lazy laid back attitude of the administration of the college.

Guest 22 Feb 2021, 19:02

+11 -3

Are we not talking about Dhanda and Ved kumari being besties, with Faizan being on the committee?

PS: Not questioning Ved Kumari's capability. Just noting the back scratching that goes into making a NLU VC.

Scavanger 22 Feb 2021, 19:22

+6 -6

And here begins the game of mud-slinging... Rubbish...Is it not? Nobody knows who were other two (may be more) contenders in the panel. Prof. Ved Kumari is selected by the Chief Justice of India out of the names given in the panel. Nobody knows if there was any NLU alumni in the contention for the coveted post? Why to unnecessarily drag Faizan and Amita Dhanda into this all?

Fact check 23 Feb 2021, 02:03

+4 -1

At nluo since chancellor is CJO. Hence appointment is done by CJ of High Court not CJI.

Scavanger 23 Feb 2021, 04:18

+1 -0

Yes...I know. But the fact slipped out of my mind when I was writing. Thanks for correction.

Burnol 22 Feb 2021, 21:25

+5 -1

She should start with the faculty. There is this group of faculties at NLUO who are very detrimental for the growth of college. They are continously creating roadblocks in the development of NLUO which so much potential. Some of them have taken their places for granted in the past with little or no input in classrooms when they give lectures. Almost half of the faculty should be replaced.

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 04:35

+10 -1

How exactly do you plan to 'replace' people holding permanent jobs in a public university? I'll be genuinely interested to know of possible means. That incompetence isn't a sufficiently strong standalone ground for removal is one of the most attractive features of a government/public job.

Joyful 23 Feb 2021, 04:02

+7 -0

The update added by the legallyindia people just recently makes it abundantly clear that Justice AK Patnaik, an upright judge, must have played a good role to keep the interests of the only NLU of his own State above all the petty things. Kudos to him and the Search Committee as a whole.

Agent of Chaos 23 Feb 2021, 04:41

Agreed. For a change, a NLU VC has been selected on the basis of academic competence and administrative experience taken together. Prof. Ved Kumari is a committed teacher, a respected scholar and has been in the academic field for more than 35 years. When she got the opportunity to work as Dean of the Law Faculty at DU, she made genuine efforts to improve the institution, despite all the limitations. She has also previously worked as the Chairperson of Delhi Judicial Academy. So she understands the importance of extension activities. With the considerable administrative autonomy at NLU Odisha, she can do a lot to aid the growth of that institution over the next five years. The students and faculty should use this opportunity to bring their institution into the top-most law schools in South Asia.

Rumormill 23 Feb 2021, 05:40

Paramjit Jaswal coming for NLIU.

Curious Jack 23 Feb 2021, 12:57

+6 -1

Prof Jaswal has already taken up the position of VC at SRM, Soinpat. He's going nowhere.

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 07:26

I wish NUJS had a selection committee like that. Instead, the process was rigged. First of all a TMC politician with no qualifications was included, who was removed after students complained. Then a local judge who was acting CJ of Cal for just 2 months was included, instead of waiting for the new one (who was NALSAR Chancellor previously, as Telagana CJ). Also included was the controversial AG Kishor Dutta, former junior of controversial TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee. There was Justice Misra as well, as but he was in a minority and probably did not want a confrontation with the TMC government. Thus, some very good candidate were rejected and a person who was rejected by tons of NLUs for VC (even NLU Ranchi) was appointed.

Sadly the SJA sat quiet.

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 07:52

+9 -8

Even more sadly, you keep droning and spamming every thread with your agenda.

Guest 23 Feb 2021, 07:31

+5 -9

The appointment can be challenged. You cannot reject a former VC of India's #1 law school in favour of a person who was never VC.

RVR 23 Feb 2021, 09:00

+7 -3

How is it possible to reject RVR?

RVR super 23 Feb 2021, 12:36

Of course, the Search Committee needed guts to reject RVR and he was not appointed. But, did his name really not appear in the panel?

Curious Jack 23 Feb 2021, 12:43

+7 -5

I'm shocked that Dr. Kumari was selected over Prof. Rao. There is no doubt that Dr. Kumari is an excellent academician, but Dr. Rao simply supercedes her in terms of administrative experience and working knowledge he acquired during his tenure of VC at NLS. The folks at NLS simply love him.
The article mentions that the list is inclusive of nominated and persons who applied, maybe Kumari applied and Rao was nominated. This is the only possible scenario which justifies Kumari over Rao.

Scavanger 23 Feb 2021, 15:14

+5 -0

There is a possibility that the celebrities who nominated Prof. RV Rao were the brokers who used to shuffle the VCs of NLUs from one NLU to another NLU. It seems days of the Dwarka Delhi Durbar are over now.

Wah 24 Feb 2021, 07:23

+2 -2

Top professor! Can anyone share 5 of her her top academic works; books and journal articles?

Scavanger 24 Feb 2021, 13:18

+3 -0

Top Professor does not mean a fellow having high API score. The reputation of being a regular class-taker, sincere and conscientious teacher also counts in making a teacher as a Top Professor.

Wah 24 Feb 2021, 16:40

+4 -3

What to say about the standard of education when taking classes regularly can make one a top professor.
Books ke naam pata Hain to batao varana chup Raho.

Guest 25 Feb 2021, 02:40

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=XJPsbE0AAAAJ

Guest 24 Feb 2021, 09:53

+0 -0

Anyone has any clue about RGNUL VC? Even that is up for a contest.

Guest 24 Feb 2021, 17:38

I expect Rao, Nandimath and Nagaraj will try for RGNUL.

Congrats NLUO 1 Mar 2021, 13:49

+2 -0

Ved is the best VC among all NLUs. Her experience beats everyone including Sudhir and Faizan.

Congrats NLUO. Wish you guys all the best.

Insider 1 Mar 2021, 17:26

It is like a kid saying that "my papa is the strongest person in the whole world"... and the poor kid knows nothing even about his lane.

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