First National Law University of Maharashtra unlikely to open soon

The first National Law University of Maharashtra (MNLU), which was proposed to be set up in the city around three years ago by the previous Congress-NCP government, is unlikely to be opened even in the coming academic year. The reason? The lethargic approach of the authorities and bureaucratic hurdles, even though the Devendra Fadnavis-led government has been ranting about speedy administration since it came into power.

After years of political infighting between Nagpur, Aurangabad and Mumbai, the state government eventually gave the nod to three NLUs in Maharashtra after being unable to decide on a single location.
VC struggles with bureaucracy

Professor Bhavani Prasad Panda, who was associated with Bengal's Behrampur University, was hand-picked by the chief justice of India for the post of the institution's vice-chancellor and took over on October 10 last year. Reportedly, he has been seeking a meeting with Fadnavis since early December to apprise him about the lack of space and funds, two basic needs to start the prestigious University, but failed to permeate the bureaucracy surrounding the CM.

"Prof Panda has been running from pillar to post to meet the CM to set the ball rolling for MNLU, but to no avail. Babus in the chief minister's office and the higher education department have kept the ace academician waiting for the past one and half months completely, ignoring the urgency of the matter," said an official privy to the development.

Law aspirants forced to look in other states

Without any campus and funds, the MNLU can't take off 2015-16. Young law aspirants will have to look for admission in the NLUs of other states once again. The Mumbai NLU was to offer world class law education from 2015-16 with an intake capacity of 120 for the five-year law course.

The Maharashtra government has even failed to register the institute for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), the national level test conducted in May for admission to 16 national law universities across India, the deadline for which ended on October, said an official from NLU, Lucknow, which is convening the test this year.

Campus was planned in remote location

Earlier government wanted the MNLU to function from the Judicial Academy at Bhayander. However, sources said that the VC thinks such a remote campus would fail to attract students, and hence, it should be within city limits so that students and visiting faculty can commute easily.

Still hopeful, says VC

"I am still hopeful to start the MNLU this year provided the government gives me a temporary campus. I have been put up at Ismail Yusuf College in Jogeshwari. A few rooms in the same campus would be fine to start with 60 students. This campus is spacious and has surplus land. The MNLU can be established here later on. This place is close to airport also, which goes in its favour," said professor Panda.

When asked about the government failing to register MNLU for the CLAT, Prof Panda claimed, "I have already convinced NLU Delhi to conduct the joint test for us." The Delhi NLU admits students on the basis of own admission test rather than CLAT.
 

Fadnavis didn't respond to calls made by this correspondent.