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MP Meenakshi Lekhi to introduce ‘nationalise NLU bill’ in Lok Sabha tomorrow

Could nationalised NLUs actually become a reality?
Could nationalised NLUs actually become a reality?

BJP Member of Parliament and advocate Meenakshi Lekhi is to introduce a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha tomorrow, entitled... wait for it... the National Law Universities Bill 2019.

According to the list of business for 6 December 2019 (PDF, page 22), Lekhi has moved for leave to introduce the bill that would “provide for the transfer of administration and management of all National Law Universities to Central Government”.

Thanks to a dear reader for pointing us to the item.

At this point, there are perhaps some of these random points worth pondering over:

  1. The law ministry has at least twice stated that it has no plans (or apparent interest) to nationalise NLUs.
  2. In 2016, a student from DSNLU Vizag had drafted the National Law Universities Bill 2016, which had also been introduced in Lok Sabha (but floundered there).
  3. Since then, a (mostly digitally) vocal section of law students has long been clamouring for NLUs to be taken over by the Centre, supported by occasional student bodies, but clearly the idea has been catching on.
  4. Private bills usually have only very small odds of ever making it through.
  5. A takeover by the Centre could potentially provide more funding for NLUs, and stop them from being a state-level political football. But it’s also worth asking at this point whether it’s possible the cure could be worse than the disease?
  6. What will state governments say when their prize NLU mushrooms are potentially being taken away?
  7. And finally, would the BCI be into this idea or would they threaten to go on strike over it?
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