Following NLUJAA Guwahati vice chancellor (VC) Prof JS Patil’s temporary stepping down that we had first reported on 26 July, a new interim VC has been appointed, as first reported by LiveLaw yesterday.

According to an email sent out by the registrar within the university yesterday, judicial officer and director of the Judicial Academy Assam (JAA), Aparna Ajitsaria, has taken over the post from Monday, 3 August:

This is for the information of all concern that Smt Aparna Ajitsaria, AJS has taken charge as Vice- Chancellor in-charge of National Law University and Judicial Academy on 3rd August 2020 (forenoon).

She is a member of the Assam Judicial Service (AJS) and has been director of the JAA and North Eastern Judicial Officers’ Training Institute, which holds training programmes and other events for the state’s judges, since September 2018.

Her predecessor VC, Patil, had decided to go on leave after retracting earlier statements made that he had had the support of the university’s chancellor and the state’s chief justice, Ajai Lamba, over fighting with an FIR against sexual harassment allegations made and a criminal case filed against him by neighbours.

Patil had also said that prior complaints by NLUJAA faculty members against him for allegedly using sexist language, had been motivated.

The faculty members then responded with a press release, alleging that he had defamed them with his statement.