NLIU Bhopal students are celebrating their week-long protest's first “milestone” after it resulted in director Prof SS Singh going on voluntary leave, according to a press note released on the protest's Facebook page.

“The university has returned to a state of tranquility and the atmosphere is brimming with jubilant relief,” stated the press note adding: “The students have won their first battle in their war against maladministration but the victory is not theirs alone”, thanking the media and newspapers for “giving [them] a voice”, and NLIU's alumni and students' parents for their support.

The note also stated that the students “hailed” Madhya Pradesh high court chief justice Hemant Gupta as their “saviour” and that they are “eternally grateful” to him.

As we first reported on Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh high court has ordered the expedited search for a new director to fill up the office vacated by Prof Singh, and has also appointed a lower court judge Girbala Singh as NLIU's registrar. She will also be filling in for Singh until his permanent replacement is found, added the press note.

With these decisions in addition to the constitution of an inquiry committee that has the mandate to examine administrative mismanagement at NLIU and submit a report by 25 December, the students' peaceful protest which they hailed as their “Satyagraha” ended on its seventh evening.

This marks the third time in recent history that the administrative head of an NLU has vacated office as a result of student protests.

Other student victories vs admin

In April this year, NUSRL Ranchi students were successful in getting their vice chancellor temporarily replaced through four days of campus lockdown protests, though a few months down the line it emerged that the new temporary head was at least as ineffective in solving administrative problems.

In February 2012, Nalsar Hyderabad's then-VC Veer Singh has resigned days after details about the law school's maladministration were leaked through a previously buried report.

At NUJS Kolkata, however, its VC of six years Prof Ishwara Bhat continues at the helm despite the existence of two no-confidence petitions against him released by the students within a span of one year. NUJS is awaiting the report of its first review commission that concluded its inquiry in September.