Is its just me or even others feel that HNLU Raipur deserves the 'ComeBackKid' Award ! It seems to have resurfaced from deep trenches of maladministration, mediocracy and gloom. Resurfaced, and yet to gain heights, but atleast showing good signs of recovery. There are constant events happening at the University, visits of SC and High Court judges, Alumns getting involved in a lot of initiatives, frankly even the students sound more confident and positive when they come to intern at my office.

I graduated from HNLU ages ago, and trust me those were the good ages :) So would really like to know what has changed.

As a HNLU student, the LLM students are not taken very seriously. They cant even participate as committee members in most initiatives (weird thing i know). And there’s barely any PHD scholars here either.

I have heard one of the IPR faculties basically had students add the faculties names as co-authors to their publications without doing any work lol. You’re better off doing your LLM elsewhere honestly.

Nothing has changed, our juniors of BO'29 can't even get their moots removed. Lmao everybody should know- HNLU students are doing moots in sociology and political science, and they aren't even able to understand how memo drafting works or how oral arguments are done. They keep bashing about NLUD and NLUJ students cuz BO'29 of these unis have already won moots...and our batch was lucky enough to have great seniors who got us into publishing...not saying that we're perfect in it or that we're churning paper after paper, but at least we have started...and as far as I'm aware, the overall grades of the latest batch have dropped...and the 5 students who have got PPOs have done it on merit and I don't think they will give any credit to the university and understandably so.

bo ‘28 has had irreparable damage done to them by the bo ‘24 LOL. please chill out, stop taking yourself so seriously. you guys with your so called “culture” have fostered a toxic environment where you steal other teams compendiums for challengers and back out of commitments from your peer/seniors.

if you feel that way about your juniors maybe help and guide them, instead of bitching about it on LI.

As someone who's been here at HNLU for close to 5 years now, I can tell you this. We are considerably better than we were 4 years ago. Yes, there are issues with the evaluation system for batches 2029 and every batch coming after. We are pushing for reformation. However, our students are doing increasingly well, whether that be at mooting (particularly international moots), paper presentations, conferences or publications. The academic evaluation system can benefit from an overall reformation. Every NLU has its troubles, and no doubt, there are NLUs doing better than us, but we are growing, and will continue to grow in the years to come.

Honestly, HNLU really does deserve the Comeback Kid award. The way things work here is well, let’s just say it’s not linear. One batch is flying high, and the next one is flatlining.

Take the Batch of ’28, for instance. They're doing great, literally everywhere you look, there's someone from their batch winning a moot, getting published, grabbing top internships. Their batch rank list is impressive, and collectively, they're a solid, high-performing bunch.

▮▮▮

Then comes Batch of ’26. A great batch, really. They’ve got PPOs, solid competition wins, and actual depth when you talk to them. You don’t walk away thinking, “Wow, that’s a law student?”

But zooming out a bit, HNLU is definitely on the rise. People crib about the campus, but let’s be fair, we get single rooms from second year onwards, which is a blessing. Privacy, space, and everything you need to actually get things done if you want to.

The campus itself is massive, perfect for nighttime walks when the semester’s getting to you. Infrastructure is picking up. There’s a cafe now. Cultural events are happening almost every week. If you can set aside the usual dose of toxicity, which, let’s be honest, exists everywhere, life at HNLU is actually pretty great.

And now, when you scroll through LiveLaw or Bar & Bench, HNLU is there. Organizing events, getting noticed.

Comeback? No question. HNLU is the comeback kid.

All okay - completely agree with all of this - but in defense of BO'27 - this is the stuff the batch has been thru being the first proper batch on campus post COVID lockdown

1. Came to campus when 2022 protest was at its peak - so we thought college is all play no work - and mind you, we were all ambitious, but the environment in 2022 was so so chaotic that people got so disillusioned w HNLU, a lot of them actually took CLAT 2022 December attempt and ran for their lives (livelihoods, rather)- so yes for most, the "gap year" was actually a gap year - and when that didn't work out, the CGPA system makes it all the more difficult to bring your rank up - combined with the "culture" spoken about elsewhere on this thread, ones with low ranks had already mentally clocked out - or were overly anxious about their rank dropping further so never really took up papers or moots

2. Slew of proctos for involvement in the protests (which our senior batches literally forced us to join by bashing our doors down - we had 0 free will, we were made a part of class walkouts, and asked to bunk classes by seniors who assured we wouldn't face attendance issues - but oh well we did)

3. ▮▮▮
4. And the general admin cracking down on the students post protests, where the chaos of first sem suddenly became over cautious tiptoeing around rules
5. The way profs lashed out at us because the same impression that OP has about BO'27 being "radio silent" and "having taken a gap year without leaving campus" - had become a prejudice in profs' heads - way too many instances of arbitrary use of proctos to silence genuine instances of disagreement, halting publishing of results over unpaid fines for proctorial orders that have been appealed (yes, there's an appellate mechanism, but you cant see results unless you pay the fine imposed by the order you just appealed using the said appellate mechanism - PNJ out the window)

HNLU might be on its way to make a proper comeback but there are deeper issues that never see the light of the day that the admin has to sort first before we can dream of making it back to T-1(A) or whatever it was before the downfall.

exactly! most of bo27 could not do their intra moot as in the middle of it they made us sit in the protest and rescheduled the orals during diwali. to add salt to our wounds, during moot challengers in our second year bo’27 students were often discriminated against by faculties who did not allow them hit benchmarks for arbitrary reasons or senior teams were allowed to proceed because “they are in a crucial phase.”

all of them claims of bo’28 moot teams, most of these teams had students of all 3 batches 26, 27 and 28. idk why we are acting like they have done it all alone lol

Can confirm dreadful senior bulling culture back in 2022, particularly lousy bullying and physical intimidation - everything from being harassed when trying to go to the gym, to being called and given threats for calling the harasser out when he stood for presidentship, being ragged in small groups after being called to seniors' rooms through humiliating acts and forcefully asked to crush marijuana, forced (through verbal and physical intimidation) to not attend classes when protests were called unilaterally by seniors. There was a LOT of this! A persistent attempt was made by senior batches to subjugate juniors and make them a part of their druggie circles, which I am sad to say, a LOT of batchmates fell easily into. These were all considerations for reattempting CLAT 2023 in Dec 2022.

Nevertheless, I could not do justice if I did not make fair mention of the handful of gems we had in seniors, whether through the nurturing guidance they provided, their sheer academic brilliance, or their help in addressing other seniors' ragging. Also, some very fair-minded professors who took action when such behavior was brought to their notice, and a few genuinely wholesome batchmates who felt a lot like comrades and some exceptional batchmates who were remarkably brilliant and intelligent. I have no doubt that for those who remained there, HNLU has at least a few good people, and can get you a job if you are serious about it.

Unfortunately, it also had a lot of traps - at the time at least, a very serious drug problem that put many, many batchmates in very bad places - some of whom are still in bad places, and a general feeling of hopelessness due to the very low quality of professors who end up teaching most of the time. Only a small minority of batchmates felt like they were actually there to study or learn anything. All in all, a truly concerningly high number of first years rewrote the CLAT 5 months (just 1 sem) into it, and everyone who could go to a better place (whether through vacancy in upper NLUs or CLAT 2023) took it and ran.

The point I am attempting to make is that the senior culture in 2022 left a lot to be desired, and I hope it has gotten better in recent times, but I do not know. Culture really is what makes a university, and the senior culture is astronomically better at NLS which creates an environment that is miles better in ways that are hard to describe in text but can be felt every second. If you get HNLU - take it, and be serious there about your future and you should be fine. But do not think twice about reattempting the CLAT and getting out while you can.

Bro, I'll advise you to stay focused. Don’t turn into anyone’s pet dog, especially not a senior’s. Sure, seniors can be great and helpful, but keep it all in check. Don’t make anyone your whole world. Focus on how you can make the most of what college offers for your personal growth.

Bhai....metro waala hai toh MNLU Chale jaa....anyways, get ready to "moot"...You will not learn anything from mooting assessments conducted by the admin. Get ready to depend on....only yourself...you are pretty much alone in this...focus on yourself and your goals. Don't think too much about the faculty, or seniors, or restrictions, or this and that. Be disciplined, not as in sleep at this time and wake up at this time...nope not like that...being disciplined as in, know your rules, your boundaries and be very particular about the things you want to focus on. Understand this: In college, everybody has their own path and learnings, don't try to copy anyone else's achievements or aspirations.

Honestly all I'd say is, as your senior,

1. do NOT get into alcohol and drugs. It has become a very pathetic culture here and a lot of people Indulge to 'fit in'. But trust me, fitting in with the wrong crowd is worse than sitting alone.

2. Protect yourself. This college takes a lot from you. Don't give it your sanity or peace.

3. Engage with your seniors. You'll have moments when their support is all you'd need to survive. And sometimes we find that they are better friends than your batchmates.

4. Speaking of batchmates, do not trust anybody until your 2nd semester ends. It doesn't matter how close you get, or how similar you guys are. Dynamics change really fast here and social boycott is common.

It is worth highlighting that the BO'27 has demonstrated commendable dedication, securing 15 internships at Trilegal, 7 at AZB & Partners, 2 at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, 7 at Khaitan & Co., 2 at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, 1 at Saraf & Partners, along with additional slots from JSA Chennai and Wadia Ghandy. Moreover, people of the batch have published articles on reputed platforms such as NLS Business Law Review and IndiaCorpLaw.

a big problem with hnlu is how unprofessional and clueless the professors are. majority of the professors actually have surface level knowledge and will dodge questions in class, or just pass of entire hour of a class naming it as "discussion" while agitating the student with a few controversial opinions here and there. mind you these discussions are for the students to fight amongst rather professors actually taking some efforts to help students out, this leads to a class divide between students themselves. then there is favoritism and oh god, because professors are involved literally everywhere from fests to events to even being the bench for moot challengers, professors always have the final say in whatever you do, so even disagreeing with them kills your semester. batch of 27 has suffered this the most, but people from batch of 27 have also benefited from this the most. people glaze hnlu but it is rotting from the inside. student body is getting weaker with every election. im scared to even send this comment, because if any of the professors get news, i might face procto. hnlu is a place where gossip-mongers and bootlickers are the happiest, and we feel that's progress because "at least someone is doing better", while the same person has probably sabotaged opportunities for three other people.

Terrible - barring literally 3-4 profs who actually know what they're doing. The rest are far far from interested in their own classes - and look for every opportunity to cancel or make it a "discussion" (read: nonsense) to pass time - but that shouldn't stop you from making the best of HNLU - this academic lethargy is what you'll find at most t2s and even some of the t1s - and it's okay. Find moots to do, papers to write and places to travel to for conferences and summits where you'll meet law students that actually want to do law if intellectual stimulation is what you want. Hnlu makes a great platform to access those spaces.

Absolutely agreed, especially after the ruckus created by the retarded batch of 2023 - the student community seems to be doing quite well. Sure, a lot of people from batches of 2024 and 2025 were druggies and would hide their incompetence/ inactivity for preparing for the help judiciary there were some very helping and pure hearted people as well. I personally have largely benefitted from some of my seniors from BO 24 who are now placed in T1 law firms (am talking about the 2 Ms - if you know little about that batch, you'll know). Was thanking one of them yesterday after successfully joining a T1 myself. To all the juniors - avoid drugs and people who'll not do literally anything in life (there are a large number of them there lol) and you'll do great, trust me. Reach out to people placed in T1 from BO 24 if you need guidance on recruitment and all - i remember he was kind enough to take all mock interviews for my friends and helped restructure their CVs too. All the best!