Urgent Letter to VC, NLU-Odisha, seeking fair dialogue with students to redress all their grievances and ensuring democratic space on campus

[napm india]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: NAJAR Justice Forum NAPM <najarjus...@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Feb, 2025, 8:54 pm
Subject: Urgent Letter to VC, NLU-Odisha, seeking fair dialogue with students to redress all their grievances and ensuring democratic space on campus
To: <v...@nluo.ac.in>, <regi...@nluo.ac.in>
Cc: NAJAR - National Alliance for Justice, Accountability & Rights (NAJAR) <najarjustic...@googlegroups.com>

Urgent Letter to the Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Odisha, seeking accountability of the University administration in the light of student protests and calling for on-campus democracy, dialogue & fair action 

1st Feb, 2025

To,

The Vice Chancellor,

National Law University, Cuttack,

Cuttack, Odisha

Sub: Seeking accountability of the University administration in the light of student protests – calling for on-campus democracy, dialogue & fair action - Reg

Dear Madam,

National Alliance for Justice, Accountability, and Rights (NAJAR), a pan-India collective of progressive legal professionals for democratic causes (including many lawyers, law students, law faculty, law researchers) writes to express our unwavering support to the peaceful and democratic student protests at the National Law University, Odisha campus, demanding greater student participation in crucial administrative decisions, better living conditions, and seeking accountability of the administration, which is reportedly creating a hostile and fearful environment on campus against dissenting voices.

Even as we write to you, it has been reported  that the week-long protest over the state of affairs at NLUO was called off on 30th January, with the Student Council stating that they feel 'broken, hopeless, dejected, and tired'. We feel extremely sad that matters should have come to this.  We are given to understand the protest was called off temporarily, in the light of meeting with some faculty members and the visit of the Chancellor and Orissa High Court Acting Chief Justice to the campus on 26th January, assuring a meeting with the Student Council on 3rd February, 2025. We hope and trust that the meeting on 3rd Feb would be substantive and constructive, fairly addressing all the outstanding demands of the students.

While we acknowledge the fact that the University administration officially ‘retracted’ its previous press statement which reportedly said that the student protests were ‘illegal and amounted to arm-twisting’, in order to ‘restore a conducive academic environment’, such a statement should not have even been made in the first place! We also understand that a few interim measures were taken up in the last week of Jan after your (VC’s) intervention, but they don’t address the core issues raised by the students.

As you are aware, the Student Body of NLUO, vide its Press Release dated 23rd January, 2025, called for an indefinite protest from 24th January, 2025 until the administration takes steps to mitigate the pressing concerns that have been affecting the university for years. The students have brought to light several instances of severe negligence, ignorance of the student body in administration of academic matters, the use of unchecked and arbitrary powers by the administration pertaining to evaluation patterns and hostel rules, and a sheer lack of grievance redressal mechanisms.

In addition to administrative and infrastructural failures, the students also bring to light the hostile approach of the administration towards curtailing their legitimate concerns. They report that the administration has used ‘show cause notices’ as a tool to threaten students who attempt to communicate their grievances, directly contradicts UGC Student Entitlement Guidelines. According to them, the administration's actions have cultivated an environment of manufactured fear and calculated uncertainty, undermining students' inalienable right to a conducive learning ecosystem. Over these pressing concerns, the administration also seems to have been negligent in handling sensitive private AADHAR data of its students as sensitive information of around 1200 students was leaked! This directly violates judgements of the Hon’ble Supreme Court regarding right to privacy.  

Having exhausted all options and avenues for remedies, the students were forced to peacefully protest for a campus that houses a supportive, transparent and conducive environment for learning. As a forum that has deep commitment to the principles of justice, safeguarding constitutional rights and fair treatment, these revelations raise some very pressing concerns for us, regarding the state of affairs at a National Law University. Despite adequate financial resources and commensurate economic backing, the University has failed to deliver on infrastructural requirements.

In a campus that teaches its students, the constitutional right to protest and the freedom of speech and expression, disciplinary measures and coercive tactics to suppress genuine student voices are regrettable and unacceptable. The right to privacy and freedom of expression are of paramount importance, and any affront to these basic constitutional rights and values has no place in a learning space, least so in a National Law University.

In the light of the above serious concerns, we convey our firm support to the students protesting and organizing peacefully, to secure their basic democratic rights and call for the following immediate actions:

1. We call upon the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor to substantively dialogue with and fairly address all the issues raised by the Student Council.

2. We urge the University administration to amicably allay the concerns of the students, acknowledge its shortcomings and negligence, and foster a transparent, accountable, and student-friendly environment on campus.

3. Coercive steps against students for exercising their right to protest casts a chilling effect on free speech, and stands in complete violation of all standards of freedom of expression. Such tactics must be avoided at all costs, by the administration.

We look forward to a student-friendly and democratic intervention and action from your end.

Thanking You,
 
1. Indira Unninayar, Advocate - Supreme Court and Delhi High Court
2. Shreyam Sharma, Law Student, NALSAR, Hyderabad
3. Adv Dr Shalu Nigam Delhi NCR
4. Arun Rathod, law student, RGNUL, Patiala
5. Mohd Akram Advocate High court of Jammu and Kashmir at Jammu
6. Vishnu Bandarupalli, law student, NALSAR University, Hyderabad
7. Belinda Augustine (Law Student, NALSAR)
8. Maulik (Law Student, NALSAR)
9. Khalil ur Rehaman, Law Student, Hubli- Dharwad, Karnataka
10. Ameya Deb, Law student, NLSIU Bangalore
11. Purnima Upadhyay, Lawyer, Amravati, Maharashtra
12. Rusham, Law student, DU, Delhi
13. Ravali, Law student, Pendekanti law college, Hyderabad
14. Ameya, Legal Researcher, Bangalore.
15. Afreen Khan, Advocate & Law Researcher, Hyderabad
16. Muskan Tibrewala, Lawyer, Chennai
17. Ayesha Nasir Alavi, Advocate and Legal Researcher, Delhi
18. Sukumaran Krishnan, Advocate, Gudalur, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu
19. Adv Shadab Mohammad Shah, M.P.
20. Pratik, Lawyer, Delhi NCR
21. Dewangi Sharma, Law Researcher, Ahmedabad
22. Shaikh Faiyaz Alam, Law Student, Mumbai, Maharashtra
23. Gayatri Singh, Sr Advocate, Bombay High Court, Supreme Court
24. Geet Dahariya, Lawyer, New Delhi
25. Shreya Panda, Law Student, NALSAR, Hyderabad
26. Vertika Mani, Lawyer, Delhi
27. Shalini Gera, Lawyer, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
28. Nisha Biswas, Law graduate and activist, West Bengal
29. Vanshika Mohta, Lawyer, Delhi
30. Bijaya Chanda, Advocate, Kolkata
31. Stella James, Law Researcher, Karnataka
32. Rohin Bhatt, Lawyer, Delhi
33. Harsha Roy, Law student, Department of Law Calcutta University, Kolkata
34. Purbayan Chakraborty, Advocate, West Bengal
35. Mohd Kumail Haider, Advocate, Allahabad & Lucknow Bench, UP
36. Grijesh Dinker, Advocate, Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur bench
37. Bhargav Oza, Law student and Labour Researcher, Ahmedabad
38. Prashant Kumar, Advocate, Patna High Court, Bihar
39. Rishav Sharma, Legal Practitioner - Delhi.
40. Kavin Castro, Advocate, Tamil Nadu.
41. Iswarya, Advocate Chennai.
42. Taniya Laskar, Advocate, Assam.
43. Shubham Kaushal, Lawyer and researcher, Ahmedabad
44. Naveen Gautam, Lawyer, Lucknow
45. Adv. Shridevi Kotkar, Mumbai
46. Prakhya, Lawyer, Bangalore
47. Sadiq Noor, Advocate, Delhi
48. Vanaja, Advocate, Madurai and Chennai, Madras High Court
49. Meera Sanghamitra (Law graduate, Social Activist, Telangana)
50. Mandakini, Lawyer, Hyderabad.
51. Albert Jasper GP, Student of law, Karnataka.
52. Arundhati Dhuru, Law Researcher & NAPM
53. Mubashir Naik Advocate J&K High court
54. Priyanka Singh, Lawyer, Lucknow (UP)
55. Divyanshu, Law Student, Hyderabad
56. Deependra Sori, Law Student, NLIU Bhopal
57. Anjaneyulu Madduluri, NAJAR Telangana
58. Ashish, Advocate, Hyderabad
59. Anil Kumar, Law Student, Pendekanti Law College, Hyderabad
60. Deeptangshu Kar, Advocate, Kolkata
61. Meenakshi Kapoor, Lawyer, Himachal Pradesh

 

Issued by NAJAR: National Alliance for Justice, Accountability & Rights

 

Write to najarjus...@gmail.com for details 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAJAR: National Alliance for Justice, Accountability & Rights

[An initiative of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), collectivizing progressive legal professionals for democratic causes]

E-mail: najarjus...@gmail.com

Web: https://napmindia.org/najar

Youtube: NAJAR Justice Forum NAPM

Facebook: National Alliance for Justice, Accountability and Rights (NAJAR)

 

Instagram: @najarjusticeforum 

 

X (Twitter): @najarjusticeforum