When was the date of that? Around 2015? The point I think that some commenters are making was that at the time he became GNLU VC, he did not have a PHD from Leiden, etc.
Thanks for sharing. I just googled a bit, and I'm not sure about those claims, at least at the time that he became director? Could you please clarify when each of these qualifications was obtained?
"Mr Bimal N. Patel, was awarded the first Doctorate of Philosophy in International Law and Governance by the Jaipur National University, Jaipur (India) in 2011 under the guidance of Professor V. S. Mani. Mr Patel acquired LLM in International Law from Leiden University and Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam. He also obtained Post Master Degree Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam and Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations and Development from the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, The Netherlands. He received Post Graduate Summer School Certificate in International Relations, Foreign Policy and Government from the University of Oslo, Norway. He completed his undergraduate studies in Agriculture Science from the Gujarat Agriculture University, Anand (Gujarat) India."
We try to cover as many moves in-house if possible, if they are potentially relevant or interesting for practitioners.
In this case, Nishant may just have a few years under his belt, but he is also becoming the most senior in-house lawyer in an interesting company that some private practice lawyers may want as a client.
Hi, thanks so much for checking in and apologies for the lack of updates. Yes, all fine, but needed to take a week off for Independence Day, which coincided with Prachi being sick, and there weren't any immediately pressing stories. Back to schedule this week, promise!
Agree that it's slightly hard to interpret and draw conclusions from these rankings, though I'd highly doubt they are paid for.
It's also hard to extrapolate whether there were enough data points for firms such as Luthra, or whether they just came consistently 6th or lower amongst the big firms...
In standard language, being a partner of another entity in this context can mean anything from strict legal partnership, to business partner (i.e., a vendor and a supplier can be business partners), to being partners in a certain business (i.e., they are jointly involved in administering a contract), or if their interests are sufficiently aligned.
I agree that the original comment could be misunderstood, which is why we've added the clarification.
As repeated previously though, it's a comment I've heard made before, so it's good that it's out in the open and any mistaken apprehensions can be clarified or otherwise.
Not really - the 'partnership' of faculty in courses has been raised to us by several students in the past.
It has definitely been an honestly-held perception by some students, that because some faculty receive a pecuniary benefit from the university for leading those courses, that they are de facto partners / defending the courses / etc.
That's not really an allegation of impropriety, but it is a valid topic of discussion (and rebuttal, which has also resulted in the comments and is actually a useful way of increasing transparency around these courses, dispelling false rumours, etc).
And it's certainly not defamatory. (We have added an editor's note to the above comment in any case, clarifying that 'partner' was probably not intended to signify the legal term of 'partnership')
I think the word 'partner' is not entirely correct, but what they were getting at is presumably that each external course has some faculty coordinator person, who draws extra remuneration from NUJS for this responsibility.
That's not literally partnership, but you could describe it as some pecuniary interest, or in the loosest term, partnership.
We don't really take 'stands' on college admins really, but in many cases of older NLUs the examples of maladministration the students can cite go back a lot longer than at newer NLUs.
Completely personally, to be honest, the administration has some decent arguments regarding the re-takes here, although it is perhaps at fault for having created that expectation of 4 retakes in the first place.
Regarding general lack of good faculty, etc, I feel for the students, but to be honest that's also a problem in most NLUs...
Agree, this approach is not without any problems, but in cases of topics such as ragging, sexual harassment, or bullying culture in law firms, say, the comments section is meant to be a free and open exchange of ideas.
I think readers also take what happens in the comments section with a pinch of salt (as our disclaimer also makes clear), and no one is suggesting that the alleged historical examples of ragging listed above are or were a regular occurrence. But I know from many accounts that some really messed up stuff as described in that comment has happened at top NLUs, as well as US and UK universities / fraternities / rugby societies (even if much of it has never been formally complained about because it was just accepted to be part of university culture).
In this case, the comment has resulted in many downvotes and several rebuttals from readers who've claimed to be NLS students and who were unaware of those instances, which provides sufficient perspective to the average reader to clarify that it's not as widespread as that comment is perhaps implying.
No individuals are named in that comment and I don't think this does any damage to the overall reputation of an institution such as NLS (particularly since the comment makes clear that the examples are very much historical, rather than current). However, it could act as a useful reminder that no place is necessarily immune from such behaviour.
Finally, requiring names, phone numbers, email addresses or Facebook profiles to comment is no silver bullet that provides veracity either (see the current discussion around fake news, etc, for one).
However, good arguments and debate (such as yours) around such topics, can certainly be valuable and useful to prospective students.
I assume it is the below that you find objectionable? Are you saying you know for a fact that these things have never happened at NLS, in its entire history, including in the first few batches, etc?
Quote:
1. Juniors being made to act like butlers: polish shoes of seniors, bring them coffee and toast to their rooms in the morning etc.
2. Juniors being made to pay bills for seniors for dining out, drinks etc.
3. Juniors who are from conservative/religious backgrounds being mocked and forced to watch porn and answer insulting questions about sexual behaviour.
4. "Positive interaction" during birthdays, known to the rest of the world as assault and battery, for which one normally gets arrested.
5. Being stripped, sexual humiliation.
6. Forced consumption of alcohol and drugs.
I know anecdotally that various degrees of some of the more serious ones above have happened at NLS and/or other top NLUs over the years, and I'm not inclined to disbelieve the entire list just because many sound quite harsh or may not have been documented or reported (by their very nature, many more serious alleged historical incidents, particularly of a sexual nature, may have happened behind closed doors and may have never been reported due to the shame and stigma involved).
By requesting pre-censorship of the entire comment because you personally don't know that they have happened, can amount to brushing things like ragging under the carpet, because they can be uncomfortable to talk about.
This isn't really about NLS, but about having an open debate about ragging and the kinds of behaviours that have gone on, and in rare cases still do (though no one is denying that things at NLS and most NLUs are much better than they used to be).
That's not defamatory to an institution, as no one will think worse of NLS or its graduates because ragging used to (and may still) exist there in various forms, but is overall a fairly healthy process.
Which comments specifically are 'filth', in your opinion?
Some of the comments highlighting historical incidents at NLS are fairly accurate, to the best of my knowledge...
That doesn't mean that all that is still ongoing, and there is a fair amount of ridiculous anti-NLS hyperbole/hysteria in the comments section, but that is more amusing than 'filth'.
Well, in the previous story we reported that their joining was contingent on the partnership vote, which is a fairly serious deal at Trilegal (so much so, that they won't even comment until it's complete). So this is the logical conclusion to that story, really...
Really sorry to hear you're depressed. It's much more common than you think in the legal profession.
I'm obviously not a professional in these matters, but you really should see a therapist about your depression. With the right approach, and possibly with some pharmaceuticals in bad cases, it's possible to get a handle on it.
In any case, suicide is never the answer to depression, and if anyone is feeling suicidal, please do seek some help or call a hotline to speak about what's bothering you. No problems are insurmountable...
They were instructed in relation to the investigation, it seems. Is that strictly speaking part of an M&A or is it different and separate work, even if one is predicated on the other's conclusion?
We have received no official confirmation right now of Luthra's involvement. I think Bar & Bench reported that Luthra was acting for the board of Fortis, but will have to confirm that independently from other firms if there's no press release. I also imagine a few other peripherally advising firms may still emerge on a deal this big...
Someone has just sent us this, which would be interesting if true (though it may be too early days to tell exactly when or how they will launch law): "Mint is reporting that Jio University will include a law school. Can you find out more? This means that Institute of Eminence will have a law school after all?"
Na, thanks, I think it works fine as a headline, as a tongue in cheek nod to the history that everyone in the know is aware of (and I am pretty sure that everyone who'd be interested in this story, will know this history, so there's no risk of confusion). :)
Which firms? Generally, as far as I know, SAM and Luthra always give scoops to B&B, but other than that, we manage ok I think :)
From what I understand anecdotally from partners, B&B also seems happier to rush ahead to press without trying to get through to partners first, whereas we generally try to wait to give them an opportunity to at least announce to their old firm that they're leaving (which sometimes means we lose scoops, but so it is...)
Plus, it wasn't academic plagiarism but a fairly humdrum report, so I wasn't sure if a purpose would be served in naming the faculty member.
If someone could explain why there is a discrepancy to the CV on the Leiden PDF linked to above, without ad hominem, that would be much appreciated.
This is from a paper of his, published in 2015 by Leiden University, available here https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/33019/cv.pdf?sequence=19 :
"Mr Bimal N. Patel, was awarded the first Doctorate of Philosophy in International Law and Governance by the Jaipur National University, Jaipur (India) in 2011 under the guidance of Professor V. S. Mani. Mr Patel acquired LLM in International Law from Leiden University and Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam. He also obtained Post Master Degree Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam and Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations and Development from the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, The Netherlands. He received Post Graduate Summer School Certificate in International Relations, Foreign Policy and Government from the University of Oslo, Norway. He completed his undergraduate studies in Agriculture Science from the Gujarat Agriculture University, Anand (Gujarat) India."
In this case, Nishant may just have a few years under his belt, but he is also becoming the most senior in-house lawyer in an interesting company that some private practice lawyers may want as a client.
However, I should have asked again, just in case, so I have just reached out for comment again to SAM and will add this if they get back.
Update 11:31: Have checked, that's a "no comment".
Agree that it's slightly hard to interpret and draw conclusions from these rankings, though I'd highly doubt they are paid for.
It's also hard to extrapolate whether there were enough data points for firms such as Luthra, or whether they just came consistently 6th or lower amongst the big firms...
In standard language, being a partner of another entity in this context can mean anything from strict legal partnership, to business partner (i.e., a vendor and a supplier can be business partners), to being partners in a certain business (i.e., they are jointly involved in administering a contract), or if their interests are sufficiently aligned.
I agree that the original comment could be misunderstood, which is why we've added the clarification.
As repeated previously though, it's a comment I've heard made before, so it's good that it's out in the open and any mistaken apprehensions can be clarified or otherwise.
It has definitely been an honestly-held perception by some students, that because some faculty receive a pecuniary benefit from the university for leading those courses, that they are de facto partners / defending the courses / etc.
That's not really an allegation of impropriety, but it is a valid topic of discussion (and rebuttal, which has also resulted in the comments and is actually a useful way of increasing transparency around these courses, dispelling false rumours, etc).
And it's certainly not defamatory. (We have added an editor's note to the above comment in any case, clarifying that 'partner' was probably not intended to signify the legal term of 'partnership')
That's not literally partnership, but you could describe it as some pecuniary interest, or in the loosest term, partnership.
Completely personally, to be honest, the administration has some decent arguments regarding the re-takes here, although it is perhaps at fault for having created that expectation of 4 retakes in the first place.
Regarding general lack of good faculty, etc, I feel for the students, but to be honest that's also a problem in most NLUs...
I think readers also take what happens in the comments section with a pinch of salt (as our disclaimer also makes clear), and no one is suggesting that the alleged historical examples of ragging listed above are or were a regular occurrence. But I know from many accounts that some really messed up stuff as described in that comment has happened at top NLUs, as well as US and UK universities / fraternities / rugby societies (even if much of it has never been formally complained about because it was just accepted to be part of university culture).
In this case, the comment has resulted in many downvotes and several rebuttals from readers who've claimed to be NLS students and who were unaware of those instances, which provides sufficient perspective to the average reader to clarify that it's not as widespread as that comment is perhaps implying.
No individuals are named in that comment and I don't think this does any damage to the overall reputation of an institution such as NLS (particularly since the comment makes clear that the examples are very much historical, rather than current). However, it could act as a useful reminder that no place is necessarily immune from such behaviour.
Finally, requiring names, phone numbers, email addresses or Facebook profiles to comment is no silver bullet that provides veracity either (see the current discussion around fake news, etc, for one).
However, good arguments and debate (such as yours) around such topics, can certainly be valuable and useful to prospective students.
Quote: I know anecdotally that various degrees of some of the more serious ones above have happened at NLS and/or other top NLUs over the years, and I'm not inclined to disbelieve the entire list just because many sound quite harsh or may not have been documented or reported (by their very nature, many more serious alleged historical incidents, particularly of a sexual nature, may have happened behind closed doors and may have never been reported due to the shame and stigma involved).
By requesting pre-censorship of the entire comment because you personally don't know that they have happened, can amount to brushing things like ragging under the carpet, because they can be uncomfortable to talk about.
This isn't really about NLS, but about having an open debate about ragging and the kinds of behaviours that have gone on, and in rare cases still do (though no one is denying that things at NLS and most NLUs are much better than they used to be).
That's not defamatory to an institution, as no one will think worse of NLS or its graduates because ragging used to (and may still) exist there in various forms, but is overall a fairly healthy process.
Some of the comments highlighting historical incidents at NLS are fairly accurate, to the best of my knowledge...
That doesn't mean that all that is still ongoing, and there is a fair amount of ridiculous anti-NLS hyperbole/hysteria in the comments section, but that is more amusing than 'filth'.
I'm obviously not a professional in these matters, but you really should see a therapist about your depression. With the right approach, and possibly with some pharmaceuticals in bad cases, it's possible to get a handle on it.
In any case, suicide is never the answer to depression, and if anyone is feeling suicidal, please do seek some help or call a hotline to speak about what's bothering you. No problems are insurmountable...
http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/international/india-suicide-hotlines.html
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/luthra-luthra-investigations-reveal-entities-to-whom-rs-473-crore-of-cash-moved-were-linked-to-fortis-healthcare-promoters/articleshow/64566556.cms
Thanks for pointing out, have redacted the address there too now.
https://www.livemint.com/Education/c4ujfEI65dTxP4lOpjFTAK/IISc-2-IITs-among-6-in-govts-institutes-of-eminence-list.html
Thanks, didn't realise it had been covered, have removed the Scoop tag and updated the story. I think they may have kept it quiet on purpose... :)
From what I understand anecdotally from partners, B&B also seems happier to rush ahead to press without trying to get through to partners first, whereas we generally try to wait to give them an opportunity to at least announce to their old firm that they're leaving (which sometimes means we lose scoops, but so it is...)
The full list of 13 is in the article, and the top 50 is more relevant in our case, since we compare it to our historical data of top 50.