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NLSIU unrest over VC boils into a full-fledged protest

Last Updated 22 September 2019, 03:39 IST

Angered by the alleged foot-dragging over the appointment of the vice-chancellor designate Sudhir Krishnaswamy, students at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) have begun a sit-in protest on the campus and are moving to boycott exams on Monday.

According to student leaders, the protest was catalysed at 9 am on Friday by the news that moves were underway by university administrators to change the composition of the Executive Council (EC), which finalises the appointment of vice-chancellors.

The revelation prompted over 200 students to sit outside the office of the Registrar, O V Nandimath, whom they accuse of stalling Professor Krishnaswamy’s appointment, due to what they claim, is a conflict of interest.

The protests have since continued, resulting in a boycott of all classes, with student leaders declaring that the protests will continue until their three demands are met: the replacement of Nandimath from the secretarial role in the Executive Council, the release of all documents pertaining to the appointment process and the formalisation of the VC appointment.

In an effort to break up the deadlock, the interim vice-chancellor, Professor M K Ramesh, authorised the formation of a sub-committee made up of two students and two faculty members to submit a report on the matter.

“However, when this sub-committee submitted its report, including a determination that the appointment of two new members to the executive council was invalid because they were ineligible, plus a declaration asking the administration to issue a formal notification of the VC appointment, the report was rejected by the administration,” a senior student said.

Students have said that they fear that delays to Professor Krishnaswamy’s appointment were part of a concerted effort to negate his appointment and trigger a fresh round of selection. “By altering the make-up of the EC, the danger is that the administration can appoint a new VC of their choice,” a student said.

The student body announced its intention to continue the protest for as long as possible and said that the bulk of students would boycott term-end exams.

Professor Krishnaswamy was formally designated the next vice-chancellor on August 4, upon recommendation from the executive council.

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(Published 21 September 2019, 19:33 IST)

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