NUJS Kolkata VC Ishwara Bhat gets five more years despite student resistance

Saturday, 24 September 2016 By Legally India Bar, Bench & Litigation

Ishwara Bhat's term as NUJS VC extended by 5 years
Ishwara Bhat's term as NUJS VC extended by 5 years

At an NUJS Kolkata executive committee meeting today (24 September), the term of vice chancellor (VC) Ishwara Bhat was extended for five years, according to several authoritative sources.

We have reached out to Bhat for comment.

Bhat’s term was due to expire on 1 December 2016, after having been appointed in November 2011 from Mysore University (at the time, he said that “NUJS has an excellent faculty and a very good name. Former VCs have built NUJS’ reputation and I will continue to maintain that tradition and strive for excellence”).

It is understood that the EC meeting agenda item to discuss the extension of his tenure was unexpectedly added earlier in the week for today’s meeting.

Some students and faculty are understood to have resisted his extension, bemoaning a declining quality in faculty, lacklustre faculty recruitment, as well as a general lack of transparency from the administration.

We also recently reported on the VC deciding to continue with a contract that a judicial inquiry held to be illegal, and on the university having paid a former judge Rs 75,000 to produce a draft of service rules that were derided as “patently illegal”, draconian, plagiarised and “suicidal”.

NUJS KolkataIshwara Bhatvice chancellor (VC)

Comments

Noojie 24 Sept 2016, 09:06
+4 -2
This is such a sad day for us. Incompetency being rewarded like this.
Outsider 24 Sept 2016, 09:17
+3 -1
Only students can save this place now. As always.
NUJS Alumni 29 Sept 2016, 14:57
+0 -0
Why the luck do you call yourself a Noojie?????? All these subaltern post colonial new age NUJS grad!!!!
Anonymouse 24 Sept 2016, 09:19
+1 -2
If you say "noojie" without a trace of irony, you've obviously not been around this planet long enough to learn you can't pin all your failures on management.
Black day 24 Sept 2016, 09:19
+4 -2
Sad day for NUJS.

Students are the primary stakeholders and the EC has clearly ignored their concerns.

The alleged incompetence of the VC has been rewarded by 5 more years by the EC which is probably full of cronies who do not care at all about NUJS and just want to get on with their lives without any regard for their responsibilities.

If the allegations are true then it would seem as if the VC himself has no self respect and is clinging on to his government job like a regular bureaucrat despite resistance from all stakeholders.
Bhat Must Go 24 Sept 2016, 09:30
+3 -0
This is such a sad, tragic day for all of us here. As always, we must persevere and resist and hold this [...] man accountable for his incompetency, lack of vision and absolute disregard for the place which he pretends to lead. And if he has accepted this extension even after the 21st September GB Meeting, where he was left stumped in the face of genuine questions - then he clearly has no respect for the students and most importantly for himself.

Bhat, you are a shame.
Concerned Alumnus 24 Sept 2016, 09:50
+5 -0
If you are part of the current GB, I implore you for the institute's sake: do not overlook abitrary or discriminatory actions on the part of the administration regardless of who sits on the VC's chair. NUJS' strength has always been its student body and the extent to which they are allowed to participate in the decesion-making system. If there is a genuine grievance, point it out, make a noise and do not give up even if superficial sops are offered to hush things down. That way, you are still going to remain one of the best no matter who heads the institution.
Damn 24 Sept 2016, 10:02
+6 -1
Dr. P. Ishwara Bhat is supposed to be a learned scholar. Clearly he is nothing but an incompetent bureaucrat with no respect for NUJS, students or even himself. He has been rewarded for these amazing qualities with another 5 years of pretend-work, pay, perks, benefits, prestige and all round jolly good fun by an EC which seemed very hurried in clearing his extension. The very EC that drags its feet for every decision, does not allow for student representation and has never cared or will care about NUJS or its students.

The VC, EC, Government of WB, the Government of India, the BCI, the law ministry, the HRD ministry, the Chancellor who is the CJI himself, have never cared, do not care and will never care about the University or its students.

The students are alone and will have to continue working hard to show the world their worth with absolutely no help, rather, with plenty of negative contributions by the above mentioned.
FYI 25 Sept 2016, 03:53
+1 -5
Despite what people are saying Pof. Ishwara Bhat has actually helped in developing lot of infrastructure at nujs and permitted lot of things for students which no other VC would have. The only thing is that since he is of a simple nature he gets misled easily and a couple of wicked faculty members who use him to further their own goals. He should be wary of these influences and focus on improving PR in his second innings.
Dark Knight 24 Sept 2016, 10:10
+1 -0
Ishawara Bhatt be like.. (mimicking Al Pacino) 'Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in'
Guest 24 Sept 2016, 10:43
+5 -0
REST IN PEACE

NUJS

2000-2016

On 26 September, a Christian Burial Ceremony will be held at Park Street Cemetery, followed by a Hindu Shraddh Ceremony at Arya Samaj Salt Lake on 30 September.

All are invited. Tea and refreshments will be served.
Eshwar Bhatt 24 Sept 2016, 12:14
+13 -0
keeping up with nujs tradition, one attendance will be granted to all those who attend the session in its entirety
AR Acad 25 Sept 2016, 09:53
+9 -0
[b]PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS INFORMATION TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES POSITIVELY WITHOUT FAIL TODAY ITSELF [/b]
Guest 2 26 Sept 2016, 06:32
+3 -0
In keeping with tradition, tea and refreshments by Bijoli Grill. Humongous invoice to be served upon students.
Guest 27 Sept 2016, 16:10
+0 -0
LOL.. these comments are very funny! Nice to see people keeping their sense of humour.
Guest 24 Sept 2016, 10:47
+1 -0
Very surprising, as Bhat was a CPIM government appointee backed my Justice Ganguly (who is anti-Mamata). Did the state government wash its hands off?

Also, can a PIL be filed since no call for applications was advertised? How can Madhav Menon and MP Singh get shorter terms than this guy?
Guest 24 Sept 2016, 10:50
+1 -3
Slap in the face of students who had blind faith in the SJA. I have been saying a million times that the regime controlling the SJA are actually stooges of the VC. Not taking names, but you know who I'm talking about.
Anonymouse 25 Sept 2016, 09:54
+0 -0
Pretty damning accusation brah.
Guest 24 Sept 2016, 11:00
+7 -0
This is as much a loss for honest, independent journalism as it is for the students. Legally India has been reporting against Bimal Patel, Bhat, Manan Mishra, Venkata Rao etc etc. Has anything happened? Even MSM ignores Legally India's stories (except Mint). In comparison, Bar and Bench is a corporate-style website that charges money from readers and moderates comments. They have never published a single critical article, and on the contrary they interview VCs/BCI officials/judges with easy questions and glorify them.

This is a sobering moment for Legally India and Mr Kian Ganz. It shows the limitations of honest journalism in India.
Outsider 24 Sept 2016, 12:53
+5 -1
Can someone from LI seek details from the President of the SJA about the resistance and publish it? Especially if the legal fraternity can see what they have to say?
FYI 25 Sept 2016, 03:54
+0 -0
Yes please!
Well Done! 24 Sept 2016, 13:04
+0 -0
Well done, Kian! Long way to go!
Action plan 24 Sept 2016, 13:14
+9 -2
Thanks to Bhat, some brilliant NUJS alumni and former teachers would rather teach at a private law school like Jindal, while we are stuck with terrible faculty despite supposedly being a top NLU.

We need to take matters in our own hands and form an "alternative" faculty of our best and most accomplished alumni. They will teach the same courses as our faculty, but do it a million times better. They can take evening classes, weekend classes or even video conferencing classes. Even if one alum takes just one class, we can easily manage 50 different classes with 50 different alums. That's a lot!

We just need to have the bare minimum attendance for our regular classes (or just sleep in them), while we devote our real attention to these alternative classes. What say guys?
Alumnus 24 Sept 2016, 13:52
+6 -1
Yes, because the current student response to classes conducted by practicing alumni is so enthusiastic!
rebuttal 24 Sept 2016, 14:56
+4 -4
Coz the best alumni are not invited. Simple as that. Not all alumni are good. The person you are talking about is a terrible teacher. That's the hard truth.
Alumnus 24 Sept 2016, 16:38
+2 -3
I would have accepted that, were it not for the fact that most of the alumni who visited the campus in recent times had the same story to tell. Also, given you have no clue which alumnus I was talking about, why try to exercise your grey cells by jumping to conclusions? :)
rebuttal 24 Sept 2016, 19:01
+2 -4
You are talking about yourself, and I have a pretty good idea who you are.

On the contrary, I can give a list of some highly accomplished alumni of NUJS and other NLUs (in Delhi, Mumbai and abroad) who have never visited even once. This includes NLU alumni teaching in universities abroad, as well as people at NLUD, NALSAR, Jindal and Azim Premji.
Guest 24 Sept 2016, 14:30
+8 -2
Please also cover scams at NLS, where this guy's twin brother is in charge.
Noojie 24 Sept 2016, 19:03
+3 -0
So apparently the vc of nls put in a good word about him to CJI during nls Convo. We just didn't have enough time to put in the other side. Vc of nls and our vc is like buddies :/
Guest 24 Sept 2016, 19:47
+0 -1
That was always expected as there is a South lobby. The SJA has clearly screwed up (going back to the previous regime) and must be held accountable.
Guest1 29 Sept 2016, 05:29
+0 -0
South Lobby??? So its no longer a person, rather a region that becomes the focus. What purpose does such generalising comment serve? Am sure even in the SBA there were many 'south' student who vehemently opposed Bhat.
Noojie Batman 25 Sept 2016, 22:43
+2 -0
In the EC meeting also, when students written representation was raised by the WB AG as a reason to defer discussion on the extension, Venkat Rao point blank asked him if the grievances were related to VC's extension. To which he couldn't say anything and that's how it was done in his presence.

Lol. RIP NUJS.
Devastated 24 Sept 2016, 20:07
+3 -2
NUJS is officially finished. NLSIU, NALSAR and NLUD are now clearly ahead, and even Bhopal, Jodhpur and Jindal may overtake us in the next 5 years, with Bhat in charge. And don't forget that NLU Mumbai may become a threat to all the NLUs

It is time for the GB to unite (for a change) and think about a strategy.
hubba 24 Sept 2016, 23:18
+6 -1
i have interacted with bhat in the past. he behaves like a supine peon (pity the fake humility play), and appears to have made circular-talk his personal art form. there is zero takeaway in any conversation.
Guest 25 Sept 2016, 19:25
+1 -1
What the students have to do is form a "parallel" government at NUJS in this way:

1. To make up for poor faculty, 100 senior alumni of NUJS/other NLUs in law firms will give 100 different guest lectures via video link in the evenings/on weekends. A proper lecture plan will be formed. So 100 important topics will be covered by 100 different experts without dependence on the NUJS faculty. Furthermore, a few good NLU alumni are already in the academic profession in India(at other law schools). These people are anyway used to giving lectures to students and have lecture notes ready.

2. In the ultimate snub to Bhat, a video lectures series on Constitutional Law should be started without Bhat being invited to any of them.

3. Form an SJA advisory board with alumni of NUJS/other NLUs.

4. Blacklist chamcha students from the parallel government, i.e. students who suck up to the VC [...]
Disgruntled 26 Sept 2016, 01:58
+1 -1
Had the current SJA had the capacity and wherewithal to do all that, it could have successfully prevented the renewal of VC's term to begin with. As it stands now, it is almost like a tin soldier that keeps rattling its sabre without any cogent action, a far cry compared to SJA's of old.
CHallenge 26 Sept 2016, 03:40
+0 -0
Let the Students' body file a writ petition in the High Court if and when a formal decision is made by the EC. At least out of shame will the VC (hopefully) quit. A new low for academics in India.
Guest 26 Sept 2016, 05:21
+0 -1
Spineless SJA leadership is to blame.
Guest 27 Sept 2016, 21:18
+1 -0
NUJS has superior placements than Jindal and NLUD even though their faculty is so much better, which shows how much hard work the students are putting in. If NUJS had even a half-decent VC who could attract good faculty, we would be #1.
Harvey 28 Sept 2016, 15:32
+0 -0
I am not denying the possibility, but the attribution is not entirely accurate. A huge amount of the current placement is due to the strong alumni base, compared to NLUD or Jindal. Even NLSIU and NALSAR have the same edge over later law schools.
Guest 28 Sept 2016, 18:14
+1 -0
Dude, if you replaced the faculty/management at NUJS with fancy Jindal-type faculty/management then NUJS would be the one of the premier law schools in Asia! Law schools are a combination of students and faculty. NUJS gets top marks for students but very low marks for faculty/management.
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