No campus, no students as Uttarakhand’s NLU remains on paper
Fifteen years after the passage of a state law, Uttarakhand still lacks a functional National Law University. Despite multiple site changes and court directives, the institution remains on paper with no campus or students.
Why it matters
The failure to establish the university limits educational opportunities for local students and hinders the development of legal expertise in a state facing complex environmental and social challenges.
The recent student protests at some National Law Universities (NLUs) over institutional accountability have put the spotlight on Uttarakhand, where 15 years after its Assembly approved a law to establish a National Law University, the State does not have even a single functional law university.
The delay stands out when compared with the two other States created in November 2000 — Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
While Chhattisgarh established the Hidayatullah National Law University in Raipur in 2003, Jharkhand set up the National University of Study and Research in Law in Ranchi in 2010.
The Uttarakhand legislature passed the National Law University act in 2011. Fifteen years later, however, the proposed institution has neither a permanent campus nor a first batch of students. Its location has shifted repeatedly: from Bhowali in Nainital district to Pantnagar in Udham Singh Nagar and Ranipokhari near Dehradun and now Haldwani under consideration.
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