Today’s boycott follows more than six weeks of boycott of psychology lectures, by the students, protesting the law school administration’s alleged inaction in appointing a competent teacher for psychology.

Psychology is a mandatory paper for second year LLB students at NUSRL.

A second year student told Legally India, that NUSRL had appointed a clinical psychologist working at the Central Institute of Psychiatry Ranchi, to teach the paper, after the law school’s former psychology lecturer Dr Shewta Moon resigned in February to pursue research work in Singapore.

The student said that the second year class found this new appointee barely competent to teach and had raised this issue before the law school’s vice chancellor Prof BC Nirmal. The students had also raised concerns over the lack of an advertisement for the vacant faculty member post at the university.

The second year LLB class had addressed a letter to Nirmal on 3 March stating:

“[…] Despite of several applications addressed to the benign authorities we regret to inform you that no action has taken place till date.

Our main issues and as addressed in the application are:

• Immediate change in the faculty of psychology
• Immediate and timely future distributions of the course compendiums in proper state
• Immediate change in the time scheduled for the 2^nd year batch

Sir, as mentioned above, we take pain to inform you that if the issues remain unresolved “WE” the “Batch of 2019” shall refrain ourselves from attending classes from Tuesday onwards i.e. from 08.03.16.”

Nirmal today commented, on phone, that he had “already appointed” a faculty, though not through advertisement because the administration was short on time. He said that this new appointee will “come and teach at the law school three to four times a week”, and has already taken a few classes at NUSRL in the last few days.

Nirmal did not remember the name and qualifications of the newly appointed psychology teacher and told Legally India he would have to consult internally to get those details.

He also said that the administration will “explore the possibility” of converting today’s boycotted exam into a project to be submitted by the second year students.

He added, when asked about the course compendium mentioned in the students’ letter, that he has now given instructions to the “concerned faculty” to prepare and distribute it.

The second year students have paid the law school an annual fee of Rs 1.95 lakh this year, of which the tuition component is Rs 1 lakh.