Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur

Maharashtra National Law University Nagpur (MNLU) (also known as National Law University, Nagpur or NLU Nagpur) is a National Law University and a public law school established by the government through the Maharashtra National Law University Act (Maharashtra Act No. VI of 2014).[12] The university is the 19th National Law University established in India and is located in the Orange City of Nagpur, Maharashtra.[13] The Chief Justice of India serves as the Head of the institution.[14]

Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur

Rashtriya Vidhi Vishwavidyalay, Nagpur
Motto	Shubhaam Vidyaam Shradhanh Aadita
Type	National Law University
Established	2016
Endowment	Government of India, Government of Maharashtra
Chancellor	Sharad Arvind Bobde
Vice-Chancellor	Vijender Kumar[1]
Academic staff	37[2][3][4]
Administrative staff	27[5]
Students	817[6]
Undergraduates	600[7]
Postgraduates	125[8]
Doctoral students	92[9]
Location	Nagpur , Maharashtra , 441108 , India 21.1458° N, 79.0882° E
Campus	Urban, 75 acres (0.30 km^2)[10]
Colours	Orange
Nickname	NLU N
Affiliations	UGC NIRF Bar Council of India;[11] International Association of Law Schools
Website	nlunagpur.ac.in

History

The demand for the establishment of a National Law University was the oldest among all national level institutions like IIM, IIIT, AIIMS, and NIPER in Vidarbha considered a backward region of Maharashtra.[15] Nagpur was first tipped to get state's first National Law University when its demand was endorsed by dignitaries like then-president Pratibha Patil, chief justice Mohit Shah and then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan during High Court Bar Association's (HCBA) platinum jubilee celebrations on February 2011.[16] But the proposal failed to move further, thanks to the apathy of Congress-NCP and BJP governments.[17] However, Ex-High Court Bar Association president Anil Mardikar first raised demand on February 6, 2011, for an NLU in Nagpur.[18] But the Maharashtra Government shifted the institute to Mumbai as revealed by then minister of state DP Sawant.[19] The High Court Bar Association of Nagpur and District Bar Association of Nagpur staged protests & even filed a PIL in Nagpur High Court against this move.[20] The Government was forced to allow the NLU for Nagpur.[21] The Bill to govern NLU's was tabled in the Nagpur session of the assembly in 2013 for the first time.[22] The State Assembly passed the Maharashtra National Law University Act (Maharashtra Act No. VI of 2014) paving way for the establishment of the institution.[23] The Chief Justice of India appointed Justice Sharad Bobde as the first chancellor for MNLU, Nagpur and District judge Dr.N.M Sakharkar was appointed as officer on special duty (OSD) and the Registrar of the university.[24]

Academics and Research

The university has twenty-eight centres for advanced legal studies and research to address the socio-legal issues and challenges and to conduct research on thriving issues of law, social science and humanities. These centres offer courses, conduct seminars, conferences, and training programs for the identified target groups.[25]

The prominent research centres are[26]

1. Centre for Advanced Study in Criminal Law (CASCL)
2. Centre for Consumer Protection Laws and Advocacy (CCPLA)
3. Centre for Advanced Study in International Humanitarian Law (CASH)
4. Centre for Study in Agriculture Law and Economics (SALE)
5. Bureau of Information for Studies Abroad (BISA)
6. Directorate of Distance Education (DODE)
7. Centre for Advanced Studies in Human Rights (CASIHR)
8. Centre for Woman and Child Rights
9. Centre of Intellectual Property Law (IPR) [In collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation( WIPO)]
10. Centre for Legal Aid and Services
11. Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution

The university has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with prominent law universities of the country for the purpose of academic collaboration that will encompass exchange of students and members of faculty between the two universities, etc. The university has inked MoUs and collaborations with the following institutions[27]

Justice Sharad Bobde, 47th Chief Justice of India, serves as the Chancellor of the University.

1. National Law School of India University, Bangalore;
2. National Law University, Delhi;
3. Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab;
4. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Mumbai;
5. Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar;
6. National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam;
7. Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad.[28]

Library

The university's library has physical copies of over 35,000 legal titles. It has received various donations prominently from Bombay High Court Library (Nagpur Bench) for its development. The university also has access to various physical and virtual legal databases.[29]

Activities

The university offers B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) Five-Year Integrated Degree Course, One-Year LL.M. Postgraduate Degree Course, Doctor of law (Ph.D.) Programme, Short-term diplomas and certificate courses in law[30]

Publications

1. MNLU Contemporary Law Review (CLR)
2. MNLU Student Law Review
3. MNLU Journal of Social Sciences
4. MNLU Journal on International Law
5. MNLU Journal on Taxation Laws
6. MNLU Journal on Arbitration
7. MNLU Journal of law and economics

Admissions

The admissions to the university are done on merit ranking based on the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) of India which is a centralized test for admission to 21 National Law Universities in India. The eligibility is as per the CLAT Notification.[31] The acceptance rate being less than 5 percent with sixty thousand applicants applying for 120 seats as of 2018.[32]

Affiliations

MNLU Nagpur is recognized by the Bar Council of India[33] and the University Grants Commission (UGC) as a state university.[34] The Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench) serves as the governing institution of the university.[35]

Memberships

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Noble Peace Prize Recipient, 2014, serves as a member of the Academic council of the University.[36]

MNLU is a member and has a technical association with[37]

1. Asian Law Institute (ASLI), Singapore
2. Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA)
3. Forum of South Asian Clinical Law Teachers (FSACLT), Goa
4. Indian Economic Association (IEA);
5. Indian Institute of Comparative Law (IICL), Jaipur
6. Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi
7. Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi
8. Indian Political Science Association (IPSA)
9. Indian Society of Criminology (ISC), Madras;
10. Indian Society of International Law (ISIL), New Delhi
11. Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), New Delhi
12. International Association of Law Schools (IALS)
13. International Law Students Association (ILSA), USA
14. Legal Information Institute of India (Indlii) (LII of India)
15. Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI)
16. National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur
17. The Institute of Military Law, Nagpur

Governing Council

Hostels and Gymkhana

The Temporary Academic Block

The Governing Council of the university is as follows[38]

1. Hon’ble Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of India- Chancellor
2. Hon'ble Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, Chief Justice of High Court of Bombay- Pro-Chancellor
3. Prof. (Dr.) Vijender Kumar, Vice-Chancellor
4. Shri K.K. Venugopal, Attorney General of India
5. Hon’ble Justice B. R. Gavai, Judge, Supreme Court of India
6. Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education, State of Maharashtra
7. Hon’ble Minister for Law, State of Maharashtra
8. Advocate General of Maharashtra
9. Shri Jayant D. Jaibhave, Nominee of Bar Council of India
10. Chairman Bar Council of Maharashtra
11. Principal Secretary, Higher and Technical Education Department, Government of Maharashtra
12. Hon’ble Justice V S Sirpurkar, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India
13. Dr. Prakash Amte, Social Worker
14. Hon’ble Justice R. C. Chavan, Former Judge, Bombay High Court
15. Prof. (Dr.) Parmjit S. Jaswal, Vice-Chancellor, RGNUL Patiala, Punjab

Academic Council

The Temple of the Campus

The academic council of the university consists of the following-[39]

The Permanent campus (under construction) is coming up at a cost of about 800 Crores or 115 Million US dollars, is the most expensive campus of a public law school in India, entirely funded by Government of Maharashtra and NMRDA .

1. Prof.(Dr.) Vijender Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, NLU, Nagpur - Chairman
2. Dr Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, National Research Professor, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune
3. Shri Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Laureate, Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation, New Delhi
4. Hon’ble Justice G. Raghuram, Former Judge, Andhra Pradesh High Court, Hyderabad
5. Nominee of the State Government of Maharashtra
6. Shri Manan Kumar Mishra, Sr. Advocate and Chairman, Bar Council of India, New Delhi
7. Dr Himanshu Pandey, Associate Professor of Law, Head Centre for Corporate Law and Governance, MNLU, Nagpur
8. Registrar, ex-officio Secretary

Campus

The university's main campus is under construction and is coming up at a cost of 750 crores sanctioned by the Government of Maharashtra.[40] The Ground-breaking ceremony for the campus was performed by Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of India; Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister , Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Justice Sharad Bobde, Judge, Supreme court; Justice Bhushan Gavai, Supreme Court; Justice N V Ramana, Judge, Supreme Court; Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, Chief Justice of High Court of Bombay and Pro-Chancellor of the University , Vinod Tawde, Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra; Sudhir Mungantiwar, Minister of Finance and Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Guardian Minister of Maharashtra[41][42]

The new building would be a completely green one with state-of-art facilities for the students and staff.[43] It would have a ‘museum of law’, along with a health and wellness centre to help nearby villagers.[44] The campus will follow Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) norms. It will have solar panels to produce energy, and food would be cooked on it.[45] All its classrooms will be embedded with information and communication technology.[46] The construction of the permanent campus is expected to be completed by 2021.[47]

References

1. "MNLU Nagpur VC".
2. "Faculty". NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
3. "Visiting Faculty". NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
4. "Research Associates". NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
5. "Staff". NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
6. Nagpur, MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY. "MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
7. Nagpur, MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY. "MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
8. Nagpur, MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY. "MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
9. Nagpur, MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY. "MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
10. "MNLU Nagpur,campus". The Times of India. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
11. "List of approved colleges" (PDF). Bar council of India. Bar Council of India. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
12. National Law University, About. "About National Law University". nlu Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
13. Nagpur, MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY. "MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
14. "MNLU ACT, 2014" (PDF). Bombay High Court. Maharashtra State Government. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
15. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
16. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
17. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
18. "Nagpur to get National Law University in 2014". Nagpur Pulse. Nagpur Pulse. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
19. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
20. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
21. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
22. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
23. "Maharashtra National Law University Act, 2014" (PDF). Bombay High Court. Bomabay High Court. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
24. "MNLU-N to start with 60 students from June". Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
25. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
26. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
27. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
28. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
29. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
30. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
31. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
32. "CLAT 2019: Around 60,000 appear for the test" (26/05/2019). Times of India. Times of India. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
33. "List of approved colleges" (PDF). Bar council of India. Bar Council of India. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
34. "UGC recognition" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2017.
35. "HC admits plea on NLU-N for further hearing". Times of India. Times of India. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
36. https://www.nlunagpur.ac.in/govern_academic_council.php
37. MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR, About the University. "About the University" (PDF). NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
38. "General Council". NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
39. "Academic council". NLU Nagpur. NLU Nagpur. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
40. "MNLU Nagpur to get Rs 750 cr gov't windfall, envisions new 60 acre campus (joint 2nd largest of all NLUs)". Legally India. Legally India. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
41. "Proposal To Start Course In 'Nyaya Shastra' In Maharashtra National Law University". NDTV. NDTV. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
42. "CJI Gogoi to grace bhoomipujan of MNLU on 18th" (14/08/2019). The Hitavada. The Hitavada. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
43. "Green MNLU building to have state-of-art facilities". Times of India. Times of India. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
44. "Green MNLU building to have state-of-art facilities". Times of India. Times of India. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
45. "Green MNLU building to have state-of-art facilities". Times of India. Times of India. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
46. "Green MNLU building to have state-of-art facilities". Times of India. Times of India. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
47. "Green MNLU building to have state-of-art facilities". Times of India. Times of India. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.

External links

• Official website