Wow, 3 years for defence!!!?????. I am an IISc Ph.D. (across the town from NLS). We never thought NLS was known for research. It is just a university for UG - nothing more. Research needs a culture. One person (even if he/she is the institute head) cannot and should not have the authority to delay such important milestones. The kind of hype CLAT takers create about NLS is amusing.

I wonder what some IISc guy is doing on an almost-defunct lawyers website? In any case, the comparison of a research culture between a science-based institution and a humanities one is not entirely accurate. Both institutions have different kinds of targets that keep them attractive for prospective students/teachers and within their respective industries. I know UG science students who have shunned IISc's UG program and chosen more employment-oriented IITs/IIITs since they are not sure of pursuing research-based higher studies. NLS and the other top NLUs are similarly placed.

But I agree that NLS hasn't really been known for its research culture in the past. They are trying to change that now. In the field of humanities, except DU and JNU, to some extent, hardly any other university has much of an established research culture. In the legal field, in recent times, NLUD and now, NLS have atleast been trying to add to that. Besides, the hype around NLS due to CLAT (and the hype about the CLAT itself) has been dying for quite a while now.

India is not really an ideal place for UG in science for the reasons you already mentioned. Besides IISc is never known for its UG programs. UG students are kept and treated differently. This original post was about Ph.D., so why bring UG into the picture? Here's a fact - no institute in India that has focussed on and gained a reputation through the success of its UG and coursework PG programs, has been able to inculcate a research culture. E.g. IITs/IIMs. IITs' bread and butter has been/will be its BTech programs, similarly, for IIMs it will be PGP/MBA programs. Keeping that in mind, it can be said with absolute certainty - even NLS or NLUD will not be able to make that switch and craft a research culture. Their bread and butter are the UG Law programs. Some of that is also a consequence of the society we live in. IISc ranks higher than all IITs in every survey, and yet is less popular among the masses.

Yes and yes. You can't go against a vc who is appointed through cji and knows most senior designated Advocates. What can an ordinary person do? You can't do anything even if vc violates rules, some even laid down by himself. You will know that your file is pending with vc for 8 months and you can't do anything abt it. It's the reality of nls.