•  •  Dark Mode

Your Interests & Preferences

I am a...

law firm lawyer
in-house company lawyer
litigation lawyer
law student
aspiring student
other

Website Look & Feel

 •  •  Dark Mode
Blog Layout

Save preferences

HNLU chancellor channels Shakespeare, tears into ex-VC, promises support, more frequent visits

Justice AK Tripathi channels Shakespeare, addresses HNLU students
Justice AK Tripathi channels Shakespeare, addresses HNLU students

HNLU Raipur chancellor and Bilaspur high court chief justice AK Tripathi visited the law school’s campus yesterday and addressing a gathering of all its students and teachers, saying that “Caesar has already been buried on the 3rd”, referring to the 3 October resignation of HNLU’s former vice chancellor Prof Sukh Pal Singh.

Justice Tripathi also said that he would be visiting campus regularly from now on, according to a press release issued by the HNLU Student Bar Association (SBA).

He said that the day that 23 students of the law school began their hunger strike to demand the ouster of Singh, he had decided that “curtains have to be drawn on the era which is the reason for all the friction and bad blood which was created in the university”.

He added that “the Czar is toppled”. Singh, who was up until his resignation pushing against his ouster from the law school, resigned that same day, as we had reported.

In his address the chancellor urged the students to get back to classes and said:

It is my request to all the revolutionaries amongst the students, employees, faculty that they must return to the barracks. The revolution is over. The czar is toppled. The time to build the nation has begun. For that we need contribution from every quarters. We have come here to create atmosphere of the information where the primary focus of acquiring knowledge and skills which is going to stand by you.

HNLU addressed by chancellor
HNLU addressed by chancellor

The full speech

I saw so many smiling faces. Keep it that way. I’m getting a little emotional (voice cracks). I don’t want my children to suffer. The day I came to know that my children are going on a fast, i could neither sleep nor eat properly. That was the day I decided that curtains have to be drawn on the era which is the reason for all the friction and bad blood which was created in the university.

Friends, Romans and countrymen, I have not come to bury Caesar. Caesar has already been buried on the 3rd. I have come to bury the past. Let’s draw the curtains on the bygone era. We have to now start building it afresh. It is my request to all the revolutionaries amongst the students, employees, faculty that they must return to the barracks. The revolution is over. The czar is toppled. The time to build the nation has begun. For that we need contribution from every quarters. We have come here to create atmosphere of the information where the primary focus of acquiring knowledge and skills which is going to stand by you. It makes it 15 years of establishment. I have been involved with institution making. I was a student of prof Madhava Menon. Somehow he convinced me to take up law. He knew his students better than they knew themselves. When he joined as a secretary of the bar council and the concept of 5 year course was mooted, I was fortunate to be a part of the exchange of ideas. There were so many critics. History has proven it otherwise. What he foresaw and what he thought of as the only way of turning around the legal education of this country has proved to be prophetic. The success story of Bangalore has been replicated in many other places. If respect has been brought back to the legal profession, the 5 year course has played a very significant role. There are stories that these students join only law firms. That is integral. It shows the quality, capability of these colleges. I’ll deal with that separately.

I have come to assure all of you that now hnlu is going to make a new beginning. We are all going to out our best to make sure that not only the respect but even the talent is noticed by one and all. Please focus your energy in academics. Enough of time, blood, sweat and tears have gone on other activities. Request the faculty to give their best .

When NUJS was set up by Prof Madhava Menon, he was in touch with me. There were certain misgivings. NUJS didn’t make a name because it was located in Calcutta. It was noticed because 2nd year students won an international moot court in Vienna. That’s when NUJS came into limelight.

This institution has laurels. Somehow that energy got down diverted. The academics has taken a toll. I have a lot of emotions and expectations.

Justice delivery on this country has to be bettered. Legal profession needs these universities. We want quality people to come in. Focus on studies. Bring laurels to the Univ. I will stand by you. I will not only be a silent spectator. I will make sure that whatever is required to be done for the University is done within a reasonable time frame .

We will prioritise on issues that need immediate attention. Recently I attended the GC meeting and convocation of NLS. Quality tecahers is one issue that cant be resolved overnight. I’m told large number of teachers were made to leave this univ. Will request them to return home and contribute to the building of HNLU. HNLU has to achieve the landmark for which it was envisaged.

The first thing which came to my mind and somebody also said was maybe the vastu of this place is wrong. To my mind it was yathastu (VC) that was wrong. Thank you.

Click to show 4 comments
at your own risk
(alt+c)
By reading the comments you agree that they are the (often anonymous) personal views and opinions of readers, which may be biased and unreliable, and for which Legally India therefore has no liability. If you believe a comment is inappropriate, please click 'Report to LI' below the comment and we will review it as soon as practicable.