HNLU Raipur students have passed a motion of no confidence and vowed to go on strike again to protest against vice chancellor (VC) Sukh Pal Singh, who has been reinstated after removal from the post has been stayed by the Supreme Court pending the fuller appeal.
The Supreme Court’s stay, which was not entirely unexpected, was nevertheless a blow to students who had held promising talks with a new interim VC in late August for reform at HNLU.
One student told us: “The protest is going to be silent and non-violent as before. We only have one demand, resignation of Dr. Singh.”
Singh did not respond to our request for comment earlier today.
However, on 20 September 2018, a Supreme Court bench of justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan stayed the high court judgment until further notice, ordering parties to be notified of the appeal within four weeks.
Yesterday, the HNLU registrar, on instructions of the university’s chancellor, notified that Singh should resume the office again (see below).
In response, the HNLU Student Bar Association (SBA), however, sent a letter to their chancellor, informing him that they had “lost faith in the incompetent administration of Dr Sukh Pal Singh and his style of arbitrary and discriminatory decision making”.
The letter said students were “skeptical of him being reinstated to the office”, for a number of reasons, including allegedly:
- allegations of financial irregularity at HNLU,
- inaction on allegations of sexual harassment,
- lack of transparency,
- suppressing the interests of the students and student body,
- arbitrary hiring and firing of faculty,
- centralisation of administrative power,
- maladministration.
Singh’s term as VC had been suspended after the Chhattisgarh high court had held that the extension of his term as VC in 2014 had been illegal.
Students then went on a strike that drew the attention of national media and resulted in the state government also taking an interest.
But irrespective of whether Singh now has the technical legal right to return, pending his appeal, students alleged:
Over the last few weeks many positive changes have been made by the administration under the interim Vice-Chancellor, Mr. R.S. Sharma. While some demands of the students are still under consideration, it is important to realize that Mr. Sharma has done what Dr. Singh could not do for more than seven years.
While the legality of his tenure is discussed in the Supreme Court of India, we believe that his incompetence is sufficient ground for him to vacate Office of the Vice Chancellor. Our lived experience show how several of us have been victims of his administration’s blatant casteism and continued inaction against sexual harassment. The hallmarks of Dr. Singh’s tenure have been the stagnation and regression of the academic culture, evasiveness and shirking of responsibility, destruction of all meaningful engagement with stakeholders and the deliberate suppression of their voices. His indifference towards the institution has led to a breakdown of trust between the students and the administration.
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It is a joke to say that the fake VC is superior to Prof Sukh Pal Singh. You can ask any alumni of the hard work he did to build the college in many years despite many difficulties. I request everyone to please see this interview in Bar and Bench: barandbench.com/nlus-like-companies-run-vc-dr-sukhpal-singh-vice-chancellor-hnlu-raipur/
Prof Sukh Pal Singh has a lot of goodwill not only among alumni but also law firms etc. Because of the protests the whole reputation of HNLU has been destroyed and law firms will not recruit because of the insults done to the VC. Furthermore, now action may be taken against the students for contempt of court, including rustication. There was also certain evidences that students doing protests were misbehaving and engaging in use of banned substances, but I do not wish to comment on that.
I thus request the students to please accept the judgement of the Hon'ble SC and call off the protest. You are destroying for careers and the reputation of the college beyond repair. Please see sense otherwise you will be the looser.
B. Even assuming what you said is true, hard work in the past does not necessarily mean that he was not doing whatever he is accused of doing more recently.
C. It is ridiculous to say that law firms will not recruit because of a perceived insult to the VC. Simply put, law firms have no reason to care about whether or not they have insulted the VC. If it's the broader point that students will be seen as the "troublesome" sort, an argument you see raised constantly when any university engages in protests, look at the results that NUJS had this year. (Or NALSAR and GNLU in the past)
D. You conveniently allege that the students were misbehaving, and using illicit substances (not exclusive to HNLU, y'know), but fail to provide any details thereof.
E. Re your final paragraph, please refer to the above-mentioned points.
Regards,
Non-interested party
Another Non-Interested party
Proof 1: Public twitter exchange between Congress party political and student protestor
twitter.com/Sagar_Solanki13/status/1045128883039866880
Proof 2: Same student is messaging Congress MP Shahi Tharoor
twitter.com/soulkaadhi/status/1045196051878051842
Proof 3: Shashi Tharoor also tweeted against HNLU VC before. But why was he silent when protests were happening in Congress states?
twitter.com/shashitharoor/status/1036269496548446209
Proof 4: Another protestor is messaging known pro-Congress media people (Indian Express, NDTV, Wire, Rajdeep Sardesai etc):
twitter.com/Raizadafictions/status/1044854154257158145
twitter.com/_shivanidixit20/status/1045201303784157184
Proof 5: Another student is messaging Congress Party
twitter.com/prakashtalented/status/1044820356392013825
Be warned: Congress will next target NLU Jodhpur, as Assembly elections are due in Rajasthan, plus GNLU to target PM Modi.
At least read the tweets that purportedly support your point.
Or perhaps this is a dastardly plan to swing outsider sympathy towards HNLU students, by demonstrating that the "other side" is plain silly.
Quote:Quote:
Unlike protests in other conventional universities, protests at HNLU are purely for the purposes of student welfare and against the corrupt administration under the current VC (more popularly known as Mr 30% among the tendering parties).
Now understand, HNLU has relatively small number students (1000 - 1200) as compared to traditional universities. Not a big political base either, which may explain lack of intervention by HRD / CM etc. The students need all the help to get their issues noticed by the government. They are seeking all the help (through twitter and activist media, few have tweeted to Mr Javadekar as well) to get their issues noticed. Rest depends upon the individual sensitivity of the people whether they choose to respond to it or not.
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