Why? PIB actually had stuff against him concerning financial mismanagement, maladministration, caste discrimination etc and clearly he was messing up NUJS bad. Only mediagenic protests by SJA wouldn't have been able to launch so many inquiries (different matter that Lord Taluk and NKC had those killed off slowly but surely) without the documentation that then SJA was able to produce. Certain faculty members can always spin yarn but the EC repeatedly saw merit in what the SJA could produce. Else PIB and Co wouldn't have scooted and those that remained only came alive after NKC took over.

I have no love for NKC. He is like any other self-serving VC. But do you have anything solid against him? Wishy washy will not do.

I agree. NKC and the particular Associate Pro were buddies. NKC actually went out of the way to help her secure the Associate Prof promotion. But now she has complained to the EC that NKC tried to scuttle her chances. Some other complains she made to the EC (and to Chancellor DYC) were:

a) University not being GST, FCRA compliant (SJA had exposed this in 2018-20)

b) VC declining CSR sponsorship from HPCL

c) NUJS again messing up with UGC grant accounts

d) Improper recruitment of admin personnel

e) Massive expenditure for boarding and lodging of BScLLB (Hons) students and alleged corruption in creating the lab infrastructure, recruitment of faculty etc

It's all there in the EC records but NKC will not allow uploads and SJA could care less.

However, I disagree that one of the inquiries against the Associate Prof is non-serious. Ofc, the VC is being petty with its timing. As per EC records, the National Foundation for Corporate Governance (NFCG) had approved a Rs 4 lac research project in 2012-13. There is some confusion whether the entire amount was released or an initial tranche of Rs 1 lac.

NFCG repeatedly sent reminders to NUJS (when SAK was appointed as Registrar by PIB) for the research report. This went on for years till NFCG wanted NUJS to refund the money sent unless the report was submitted. NKC refunded Rs 1 lac and removed the Associate Prof (was Assistant Prof when she was assigned the research grant) from her centre. Later in a retaliatory move, NKC persuaded the EC to authorize an inquiry against the Associate Prof who ironically wants SAK ensnared as well.

Hot water? Really? The EC didn't care when UGC funds were looted by all those very clearly mentioned in the Justice (Retd) PN Sinha Inquiry Committee. Later when PIB buried that Inquiry Report and kept on with his maladministration and financial shenanigans, the EC unanimously gave him a second term. SJA had protested, petitioned etc then as well but to no avail.

Even when PIB exited finally in 2018, EC allowed him to "resign" and remained indifferent when Lord Taluk and later NKC killed off those inquiries. EC didn't even care when the state govt initiated an inquiry that deeply troubled NKC. And that inquiry report too got buried.

Where is the evidence that VC is in hot water with EC? Has the EC initiated an inquiry against NKC for the so-called unapproved release of funds to iPleaders? Did the EC ask the VC to formally explain how NUJS lost in HC, arbitration and in the SC? Did it ask how and who chose the university lawyers and the briefing that they received from VC?

Has the EC initiated an inquiry against NKC for not completing the inquiries that the EC itself initiated?

Has the EC initiated an inquiry against NKC for the alleged SH complaint? What about the much talked about FIR? How does the EC ignore all this especially when it has at least 4 faculty members who are now at loggerheads with NKC.

Maybe it is the Associate Professor who is in hot water for overplaying her hand.

Your comment suggests that NUJS had a chance of winning any case against ipleaders

In reality despite being considerate towards NUJS no judge could help it because the violations by NUJS were way too blatant

Hence winning streak of ipleaders - NUJS has lost every case so far right upto SC

You are right. NUJS never had a chance to win against iPleaders. The inside job entailed certain faculty members with vested interests to shepherd the deal in favour of iPleaders. That meant that iPleaders would provide "technical support". Basically the deal translated into NUJS lending its name and iPleaders having executive control. However, it was NUJS, which had the duty to get UGC approval etc.

While iPleaders knew that the courses did not have UGC approval, it continued bringing in students. No one had ever thought (including SJA, which had no idea about the illegality) that this sweetheart deal would later go very sour.

But it did always amaze me why NUJS kept litigating in the courts instead of doing proper in-hose inquiry just like the EC had directed. NUJS lost the arbitration as well. You'll be so surprised to know who did the arbitration for NUJS. A closer look into how the cases/arbitration was handled will make the "political management' very clear and how the same vested interests triumphed again despite significant jolts due to SJA intervention.

It is ironical that a certain someone is now complaining to EC against NKC for having approved a payout to iPleaders without EC nod.

Nothing ever really changes at NUJS.

Wah kya conspiracy theory

There was no online courses regulation from UGC before 2018 by when ipleaders courses had stopped

Ipleaders was a vendor, they can’t be faulted for lack of legal compliance if any by nujs 😂😂

ipleaders was stuck with NUJS riding tiger as NUJS sucked out the profit from each course

Once the ipleaders went independent they grew by leaps and bounds, as is visible to everyone, despite severe reputational damage caused by nujs saga

Had nujs stuck to ipleaders it would have benefited from the growth but has now lost out thanks to conspiracy theorists like you

While iPleaders ran courses, nujs made several crores from it; but never before or after it had made any significant money from any distance or online courses

Just some facts for you 🥰

And what action did the EC take against NKC for this unapproved transfer? Or for any of the things that were alleged by a particular Associate Professor?

By the way, why didn't the Associate Professor also complain about other deliberate omissions of NKC? I admit she isn't obligated to do so but when she is claiming that NKC has festered serious rot in NUJS and has subsequently victimized her because she spoke "truth" to power....it is odd that she would drop well-documented instances of abuse of power by NKC, especially the manner in which he killed off inquiries and related RTIs. The Wire ran two articles on these issues.

NKC/NUJS did not contest those articles.

The wire articles were written by a certain loser ex prez of sja and nobody read them

The entire debacle with ipleaders happened due to his over activism without knowing proper facts

He claimed on his tinder profile that he got the VC fired, that wad the extent of his activism

Such a dead giveaway when you are trying to act anonymous

Honestly, where is the proof, even an indirect one that FIR has been filed? By now the EC would have taken some action. The complainant would have also approached the ICC. Did she? Because some comments here suggest that the complainant went to LCC Barasat. Did she go to LCC only because the ICC failed? Sure, she can claim that VC being the head of the institution, the ICC members may feel constrained to go against him.

If that were true, then how did the ICC of IIM Calcutta deliver findings against the Director. The ICC report was robust enough for the IIM-C Board to remove the Director temporarily in the interest of doing a a thorough inquiry etc.

Someone pointed out a precedent involving PA vs then AR Admin. The PA lodged an FIR only after she had exhausted all internal processes including an ICC, which was later found biased prompting the EC to change its composition, including the head. The findings of the new ICC were upheld by the EC. By then the PA had also lodged an FIR and after much foot-dragging by the police, the then AR Admin was finally arrested and sent to police custody. Eventually he got bail and many years later his services were finally terminated by the EC in 2019. While the then AR Admin has appealed against this termination in the Cal HC, the case resulting from the FIR is still going on at the local trial court. Ten years and counting!

Right now we have no proof of FIR. No police action. Not even the VC being queried by the police. What about witnesses? Have they been queried? Even the LCC Barasat thing is beginning to sound dicey despite many folks claiming the complainant has been selectively showing the complaint.

Hearsay or do you actually have proof? If NKC has really done PIB level stuff or more since his appointment as VC, clearly you will have something concrete. Incriminating stuff against NKC cannot all be in the category of "I know but cannot prove".

Grade inflation/liberal marking et al have been happening consistently since the time of Menon. Many other unpalatable things happened (but never got recorded/documented) as well when the "golden trio" of Menon, Chimni and MPS reigned. Alumni including those in the faculty may disclose those to you.

Why single out SJA/students, especially when the reality is well-known? When SJA exposed PIB, it was widely known that a lot of additional information was hunted down by individual students. The faculty member who has lodged SH complaint against NKC was exposed by some of her colleagues. SJA and students had no covert/overt participation beyond what was available in the EC/AC records.

Don't just tell. Show what "bad things" have been done by NKC.

LMAO. You’re grossly misinformed, kiddo. There was no grade inflation during the times of Menon, Chimni and MP Singh. Quite the opposite and Menon was a tyrant in his belief that you must give 200% to earn a good grade. In fact, a lot of really good people could not secure admits to Oxbridge and Harvard because of this.

What did happen is that certain students got their GPA bumped up during reevaluation, when papers were sent to universities outside NUJS, like Hazra and South City. That was always controversial.

She was very much part of Effulgent when it inked the deal with NUJS. The other directors were an ex-Noojie and his wife. For some reason the distance edu courses didn't take off immediately.

Both SJA and certain faculty members came across this but independently. The papers were reviewed by the EC and an inquiry was initiated. NKC killed off that inquiry (ironically at the request of the Associate Prof who now claims that NKC sexually harassed her) because no money changed hands apparently and the courses never took off.

Why only the inquiry specific to Effulgent? What about all the other inquiries that the EC directed from mid-2019? And what about the Justice (Retd) PN Sinha Inquiry Report?

PIB and even Lord Taluk had vested interests in killing off those inquiries. But NKC came with a "clean slate". He left CU Law just before TMC came to power and after a detour or two served KIIT Law for nearly a decade.

NKC was bleached of all red by the time he applied for VC position here. So why did NKC actively kill off all the inquiries and heartily embrace PIB acolytes and their counsel?

Nope. When SJA placed the evidence before the AC and then EC, that faculty member couldn't even muster whatever evidence you are citing here. Whether she resigned later etc was never the point as regards Effulgent. The records clearly showed that she did not disclose to the AC and EC that she had a direct stake in Effulgent and a vested interest in shepherding the deal. The lady could have have simply recused.

The lady was very much a director of Effulgent when the deal was being negotiated and signed.

She was course coordinator of an ipleaders course, where she was supposed to manage the course on behalf of NUJS, and she even got a special fee for this from NUJS

She saw an opportunity as ipleaders was making very good money and grabbed it by signing a deal with her own company effulgent

Then she stirred up trouble for iPleaders so that iPleaders shuts down and her own company gets a free reign

SJA rained on her parade when they discovered she is director at effulgent and self dealing

Distance education students became victim of this sordid plot by effulgent lady

From what position? She was a shareholder she could not resign from that

If she resigned as director- that would have shown on MCA records

If anyone bought this story it was because they don’t know how MCA works 😝

Question is how did she get appointed director by a private company without informing NUJS where she has a full time job drawing full time salary

She did all that and more because she could. And she also knew how to get away with it.

You (may) have the evidence. If NKC is compromised, take it elsewhere. EC, Chancellor, the state govt etc. True many in the "system" were/are complicit. The SJA then did all it could.

But all you do is talk.

I pulled up the MCA records of Effulgent- it was never in business, never did any revenue. Till date! This shows it was created with only one purpose, and the lady resigning is not the true picture.

She should be prosecuted under public corruption laws for this very obvious act of corruption

The fact that she is not pulled up is a matter of corruption

Someone needs to file a case against her in Cal HC

Will you be going to Cal HC and footing the bill? Do you think the HC cares? Because it has a certain SS in the EC and he along with KD and Co didn't have a problem when EC-mandates inquiries were killed off. A well-documented inquiry report authored by Justice (Retd) PN Sinha, who was handpicked by Justice DD (now in SC) was buried by Lord Taluk and NKC while the EC with Justice SS and his predecessors looked on.

And with all the talk of "setting" (a DSG in HC who was handling several sensitive cases was dropped unceremoniously) getting betrayed is a certainty. Btw, the state legal convenor of the principal opposition party knows about all this and more. So does a certain much talked up ASG in Delhi. Both have bigger fishes to fry.

The TMC government, especially Advocate General Kishore Datta, will dictate terms, as he did last time. There is talk about Rathin Bandopadhyay from North Bengal being appointed, but my own hunch is that it could be a retired judge. It will be good if the students agitate, petition the CJI and demand a merit-based appointment — but I don’t think the current set of students will do so.

Please not a retired judge as a night watchman again. Lord Taluk played a disastrous innings. Two other NLUs (Jodhpur and Patna) also had "judge" VCs and reportedly that didn't do wonders for them as well. But you are right that the AG will have a prominent role.

Not sure if RB will make the cut. NKC is anti-RB, especially so because the state Law Dept got RB to head an inquiry/audit, which caused problems for NKC. While the university has stopped uploading EC/FC/AC records, please check/do RTI and you will find mention of it in the EC records. You can even RTI the Law and Judicial Dept of GoWB. NUJS archives may also have a copy of the public notice issued by the RB headed inquiry committee for submissions before the committee. NKC "complied slowly" and had it put up on NUJS website (only) for an extrenely limited duration. Still, quite a few aggrieved distance education students among others made in-person submissions. Others submitted stuff online.

But as with other EC-directed inquiries, NKC received help from AG and certain regime friendly judges to bury this inquiry as well. Many whisper that NKC used his influence to scuttle RB's chances as VC for NLU Meg and possibly Tripura as well.

The SJA has been hollowed out and student leadership is woefully absent. SJA is more likely to remain a place holder for admin acolytes. Students will always have differences etc. But something as basic as ensuring admin transparency shouldn't have been difficult to maintain. How did SJA 2020 and successors mess up instead of building up on the crucial victories of their predecessors?

NKC and Co know that SJA is ineffectual. Faculty are a divided and self-serving lot. AG and Co have other equations at play. So NKC is likely to continue till 2026 and like many other VCs, he will try to get one his acolytes gets installed as a VC or ensure that someone worse takes over. That's how PIB happened.

History is set to repeat again.

My money is on Arup Poddar or JK Das. But before that the selection committee has to be gamed. My prediction is that the selection committee will consist of Justice Aniruddha Bose (CJI's nominee), Kishore Datta and a judge of the Calcutta HC who is close to the ruling TMC government. I feel that Justice Bose will seek a merit-based appointment, but he will be outnumbered by the other two and then give in to avoid a confrontation. Justice Bose is an honest man, but he is also a non-confrontational man.

AKP will be VC of NUJS in Darjeeling/North Bengal and AniMazum will take over as NLU Asansol/Durgapur. These two campuses were proposed when PIB was allowed a second term, and then the plans got shelved due to SJA pressure and PIB lost the plot as well.

TMC may have proposed these two campuses for its own reasons. Irrespective of who comes in 2026, these two campuses are happening.

I agree with most of what you say. If the TMC loses seats in the LS, they will enact a range of populist measures, one of which will be two campuses of NUJS in other parts of the state. Where I slightly disagree is the two locations. I will go with Jalpaiguri (not Darjeeling) and Bongaon (not Asanasol). Jalpaiguri because there is a circuit bench there already and the TMC in weak in North Bengal. Re Bongaon, it is the home of the influential Matua SC community, which can swing seats. Asansol was named only because it is the law minister Moloy Ghatak's constituency. Ghatak is losing his clout and has been summoned repeatedly by the ED in the coal scam. Asansol is also not less important than Bongaon. The other step could be 70% domicile reservation.

Sort of agree. Jalpaiguri has the HC Circuit bench. But NBU Law is already there. Darjeeling is politically important to TMC. Hence Darjeeling could be on the short list. Also Siliguri since it has an airport nearby.

Locating a "law university" in Bongaon wouldn't be considered "big" by the Matua community. TMC has already given them a full-fledged university, which can expand further.

Asansol/Durgapur isn't just Ghatak teriitory. The region has other satraps as well. Also it has a functional airport nearby and several industries and urban areas.

Cal HC and SC judge could care less. They will sign off on whatever the state has to say. Such stalwarts didn't care/matter when PIB was appointed, given a full second term and was allowed to resign when things got hot. They initiated inquiries but remained indifferent when Lord Taluk and later NKC had all those inconvenient inquiries killed off. Ofc we cannot forget the sterling contribution of KD. Also note that we got Lord Taluk and NKC thanks to the stalwarts.

Rubbish. The principal opposition party of the state severely lacks the ground-level organisation and logistics. The ruling party has survived massive ponzi scams, horrific poll violence and killings and multiple bridge collapses in Kolkata and elsewhere. Let's not even go into the shenanigans of the erstwhile GOP and the Left regimes.

The people of WB unlike many other states take forever to change regimes. And when that happens, the notorious ecosystems survive and thrive. So it really doesn't matter who wins or loses in 2024 and/or 2026.

A glance at Indrajit Dube's CV will show the following:

- pretty much every publication of his is co-authored either with his wife (Dipa Dube) or with one of his former PhD students at the IIT law school, such as Rajrupa Sinha Roy, Aparup Pakhira, Bhagwan Gawali etc.

- a large number of his publications are on subjects outside his domain of expertise (which is supposed to be corporate law)

- he has published in the US China Law Review, which has been exposed online as a scam journal

https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2020/48/i-published-a-fake-paper-in-a-peer-reviewed-journal/

- I cannot spot any well-regarded journal he has published in all by himself, and even the co-authored articles are not in top tier journals (Jindal Law Review is the only Scopus-listed one)

http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/department/IP/faculty/ip-indrajit

Based on the above, I think there are far better people who can be appointed. If the 10-year Professor bar is removed, then former NUJS profs like Prabhash Ranjan (SAU) or Vishwas Devaiah (BITS, ex-JGLS) can be chosen. Among NUJS alumni, Nemika Jha (JGLS) would be a great choice and she was also the gold medalist of the first batch.

If a TLC person has to be appointed and the 10-year professor rule followed, then Faizan Mustafa can be appointed. I am sure he will prefer NUJS to CNLU. He is also ideologically aligned with the current political dispensation in the state.

1. By that metric, even Sudhir doesn't qualify, since he barely publishes in any peer reviewed journal himself.

2. Faizan's publication record isn't anything to brag about either. He mostly writes newspaper op eds and disseminates his views through his YouTube channel and interviews.

3. There is zero chance of the ten year rule getting waived for any public university in India at present. There will be immediate litigation. Even Sudhir had to qualify that, which he just did, courtesy MP Singh. You are just spouting random names now. Nemika is a great candidate simply because she topped her batch? She doesn't have any experience whatsoever as an admin anywhere. There are good candidates available if the search committee keeps an open mind, but they probably won't. It should ideally be someone who has studied or at least taught successfully at a good NLU.

These are just reasons you are coming up on your own. None of these is relevant for a person's suitability as a VC. What needs to be seen is what if anything Dube has done as an administrator during his tenure as Dean at IIT KGP Law School and as VC at NLU Meghalaya. As for the other names whom you mentioned, other than Prabhash, neither Vishwas nor Nemika has got an impressive publication record since that is the only metric that you have discussed here. Nor do they have any admin track record of their own. Faizan is interested in AMU more than any NLU now, but he does not care about any institution rather always looks for the next best available opportunity. He has also left a place like NALSAR in considerable mess, so not the best of choices at this stage. Maybe someone like Nigam, who is the Registrar of NLS now, can be considered instead. The person has to be able to present a good front to the rest of the world including governments and foreign universities, as well as bring projects and funding to the university, while encouraging research among faculty and students and uphold academic standards, all the while balancing the relationship with the state. A tall task for anyone TBH.

ID has NKC support. Dube duo worked in NLUJ before permanent placement in IIT KGP Law. NKC was the PhD supervisor for Dube duo at CU Law. Dr NLM was NKC's PhD supervisor and mentor at Burdwan law. When Dr NLM started NLUJ, the Dube duo and some others from Bengal were recommended by NKC to NLM. Every VC needs a core "safe lot".

Later when Dr NLM exited NLUJ and was involved in starting up IIT KGP Law, the Dube duo moved too. Dr NLM tried very hard to install NKC as the Law School head when NLM was moving to KIIT. But IIT KGP Law rejected NKC. Later NLM helped NKC secure the directorship of KIIT Law.

Follow the IoUs (as also some other things) and the ducks line up.

This is true. The IIT KGP board was firm that they would now allow NKC to teach there as he had never taught at an NLU or other national university, unlike the others profs there at the time, such as Shreya Matilal (NUJS), the Dube duo, Subramaniam (NUJS) and Uday Shankar (HNLU). So NKC was made an adjunct at Dube’s urging. He was eventually removed by the IITKGP board.

Faizan only has admin experience in his favour, nothing else. His last stint at NALSAR did not end well either with him trying to get another term using students and SidC as proxy. These things stay on with you. The committee isn't really required to cite any reason for their choice, unless the chosen fellow does not meet essential qualifications.

I am a graduate of RGSOIPL, IIT Kharagpur. I would like to inform everyone that Prof Dube was acting Dean, holding the rank of Assistant Professor. This happened after Prof VCV left.

In terms of his record, Prof Dube and Mrs (Prof) Dube were not popular or highly respected, to put it mildly. That’s all I’ll say. The point about student-authored publications can be verified by looking at their publications list.

In contrast, Prof Dube’s successor, Prof SV Joga Rao from NLSIU, was very popular at RGSOIPL. Prof Joga Rao is also much liked at NLSIU as a teacher. His classes on evidence law are quite famous and RGSOIPL students he taught also benefitted from his lectures. He has also been a litigator and has valuable practical experience, in addition to contacts with many generations of NLSIU alumni.

As for Prof VCV, he was also well-liked at RGSOIPL and has a pleasant personality. The most positive change he made was in the area of curriculum reform and in building the exchange programme with GW law school, funded by Mr Vinod Gupta.

SVR was a gem at NLS too. He was regularly consulted by UNAIDS in India when they started their work and it was SVR who started TILEM at NLS, which lost sheen once he left. As always there will be petty people and they saw him exit.That includes many bigwigs. SVR was successful as a specialist litigator. Have always wondered why NLS didn't bring him back. Ofc he was fed up with institutional politics.

SVR took a few classes at NUJS once. Such a gem in weaving theory and practice. Not sure if he would have left his practice and joined NUJS. But some people felt threatened by student response and moved internal levers to ensure that SVR wasn't even brought in "visiting" capacity.

Early batches of NLUJ can tell you about the Dube duo. Isn't DD now the Head of IIT KGP Law now? How is that working?

Last time, Kishore Datta assembled a committee consisting of:

- himself

- CJI Gogoi’s nominee Justice Mishra (neither judge caring anything about NUJS or legal education in general)

- an interim Cal HC CJ (a clueless and timid person who was in charge for just a month; Datta cleverly waited until the permanent CJ left)

- an unknown, small-time businessman who was a TMC spokesman at the time (he was removed after the SJA challenged his appointment as violative of the NUJS act)

This time, I fell Datta will wait for Chandrachud to retire (in November), because Chandrachud may cite Sudhir’s example and want an academically well-qualified VC. By November, Justice Bose will also have retired. So, you will Justice Khanna as CJI. He will probably nominate Justice Dipankar Datta to the selection committee. As for the other members, my bet would be Datta’s mentor Kalyan Banerjee (TMC MP) and maybe Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharjee or Justice Girish Gupta.

You forgot to mention the colour of his connections. Then again, PIB and before him Menon's colours were also known to the state government. Dr BP Panda, Director KIIT Law (and ex-VC of MNLU Mumbai) was SP's PhD supervisor and mentor. BPP was close to Menon. Both BPP and SP belong to the lobby of Venkat Rao and AR Lakshminath (ex-VC of CNLU).

By the way, why no talk of MKS?

I am betting FM. Ticks all the right boxes for the TMC.

The election results will be out in less than 100 days. That will give you a clue. If the TMC is thrashed and heading towards defeat in 2026, Mamata will be desperate to be place her cronies in as many places as possible before leaving. But if the TMC does well and her position is secure, her attitude will be “meh”. She’ll be ok with Faizan then.

Irrespective of 2024 or 2026 results, TMC (for that matter all political parties) always wish to pack institutions with their own whenever there is opportunity. It is done continuously. Just that some are smarter in getting that done. For example, the smarter party will not appoint a known apparatchik. Instead they will appoint a "neutral" person of "merit" having first sealed an internal understanding.

The "Bengali VC" thing isn't an issue this time. It was a bogey raised last time to scare off some people and limit the pool to TMC friendly academics. NKC wasn't the first choice but he was able to get into the good books of KD and his patrons/mentor. He also had Justices AR and SS and Lord Taluk to bat for him.

FM et al will only come into picture if NKC has lost the confidence of KD and Co. Is that the case? I don't see EC (which mostly means KD and Co) acting against the VC. Has it even asked the VC why he hasn't initiated the search process for his successor.

Clearly NKC wishes to stay on (as long as possible) and KD and Co also want him to continue. SJA et al don't matter.

This is how things are likely to play out. NKC will call EC only after the ECI announces dates for elections etc. By then a complicit EC led by KD and Co will agree to give an open ended extension to NKC. That means that NKC will continue to serve and protect vested interests (ofc including his own) till 2026.

NKC knows that it will be difficult to continue for a full second term. Depending on political and personal equations he will lobby to get an acolyte as his successor so that gravy train keeps running.

Let the betting tables open!

VC is not obligated to share his (un)official travel plans. But he has been on fly-in/fly-out mode for an extended period. Wonder why? If he is lobbying for an extension or renewal, wouldn't that be just the folks who run the state government? Even when he is in Kolkata, he has been buzzing about a lot.

Is it the FIR or LCC Barasat effect? In 2018 a NBW was issued by a court in MP against a then Assistant Prof of Law. Lord Taluk quickly processed his lien request to MNLU Mumbai. Stayed out of state till the local police signaled him to return after a few years.

Many faculty and admin staff members from various factions are saying that Bidhannagar Police came to campus while students were busy with fests. They met the Registrar and certain faculty members were queried based on the FIR lodged by an Associate Professor alleging sexual harassment by NKC.

Since there is no unanimity concerning the faculty members who were questioned hence not mentioning the names that came up.

But this much can be said that the complainant had mentioned the names of two senior Professors (a male and a female) as witnesses to the alleged sexual harassment by NKC. She has also complained against two Associate Professors (a male and a female and both ex-Noojies) for working with or alongside NKC.

It was also mentioned that majority members of LCC Barasat are well known to a former NUJS ICC Head who is friends with the complainant and her witnesses here. That explains why the complaint was made there and not to the ICC here.

Since NKC started, several admin appointments have been made. But why were new positions created and how have they been filled up? A much discussed Associate Professor has raised these questions in the EC. She has rightly questioned what has been the RoI on this admin flab. We already have overpaid DEOs who cause havoc every now and then. SJA had raised these issues in 2018-19. But those went quiet after NKC took over.

For example, what really is the work of Information Officer. On paper he is to function as PIO. But how many RTIs does NUJS receive? NKC and Co are well-known for stonewalling RTIs and so NKC may have wanted to have a PIO of his choice. But the admin flab is costing students

That's what many, including those "in the system", thought after 2019 LS elections. While it is commendable for a party to win 77 VS seats (from 3), it was a far cry from conservative estimates. So many folks went into "compulsory waiting" and we needn't get into turncoat games. Did the Left even think that it would get booted out for good in 2011 after winning landslide in 2006 VS and 2004 LS elections? Or did the GOP think that it would spend more than a decade in wilderness after winning a massive majority in 1984 LS elections.

Elections wouldn't matter much for NUJS as an institution. Ofc, certain individual fortunes may change for better/worse. NKC is staying on till 2026 at least. He will ofc try to appoint an acolyte as his successor.

From what I understand, NKC's term is ending in mid-2024 and he will turn 70+ by mid-2026. Hence he cannot be a given a full second term. Given the political fluidity right now, NKC will get an extension till mid-2026 since he has good rapport with those "who matter" in the EC and elsewhere.

Apart from the technicality of age limit, what really are the sins of NKC? Why would we want him gone at the earliest?

NKC's extension plea has been deferred by the NUJS EC in its last meeting. But the EC hasn't appointed any search committee either with his tenure to end in three more months. So TMC will probably get him back in after the elections, with the party stooges in the EC and NKC's own new acolyte doing the needful.

Two VERY interesting developments these past few weeks:

1. Justice Dipankar Datta, in the EVM case, has shown that he is not going to kowtow to the anti-BJP camp and will not hesitate to rebuke them. As the senior most Cal HC judge in the SC (and currently the only Cal HC judge there) he will very likely be delegated by the CJI to have a say in the NUJS VC selection. If Datta refuses to be a TMC rubber stamp, this could checkmate any attempt by Kishore Datta and the TMC to rig the process like last time and handpick their own candidate.

2. According to an NDTV article today, which interviewed top psephologists, the Bengal elections will be neck and neck with wafer thin margins in many seats. The chatter from Bengali news channels, as well as psephologists, is that the TMC is assured of around 10 Muslim-dominated seats and the BJP of around 10 Hindu-dominated seats, with the remaining 22 seats up for grabs. Whoever wins the election will be the favourite to win the state in 2026. The million-dollar question is this: even if the TMC appoints their own handpicked VC, what stops this person from switching loyalties to the BJP if the BJP wins in 2026? A BJP win is theoretically possible going by what the psephologists are saying.

So, we still have wait till 4 June, and the TMC remains in pole position, but Datta & Co may not get a cakewalk like last time.

The other X factor is the SJA. Will they copy NLSIU students and mobilise students and alumni to write a petition to the CJI demanding a transparent appointment?

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ndtv-battleground-contest-of-fine-margins-between-bjp-trinamool-in-bengal-5589210/amp/1