NLSIU students call off stir, Bar Council of India urges CJI to review appointment of VC

New Delhi/Bengaluru: The agitating students of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, on Monday called off their strike over the “delay in appointment” of Sudhir Krishnaswamy to the post of vice chancellor even as the Bar Council of India has written to the Chief Justice of India seeking review of the decision on his appointment.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi is the Chancellor of the NLSIU.

Slamming the students’ agitation on the NLSUI campus, the Bar body, in a statement, claimed that Professor Krishnaswamy’s role behind the stir cannot be ruled out and said the Executive Council should review the decision to appoint him as Vice Chancellor to restore discipline.

However, the Students Bar Association of NLSUI on Monday called of their strike, saying that the Chief Justice of India was aware of their concerns.

The students have been protesting for the past few days against the “delay in appointment” of Krishnaswamy to the post of vice chancellor of the University.

According to them, a sub-committee headed by Justice Sharad A Bobde, the acting Chancellor of NLSIU, had selected him for the post on July 6.

The students said they approached the CJI through senior advocate and alumnus Gopal Sankaranarayanan to explain their concerns.

“The Honourable Judges have responded by acknowledging that although there has been some misinformation circulating, they have been cognizant of all the relevant facts concerning the situation of the appointment,” the students body said in a statement.

“It is abundantly clear to them that the decision of the sub-committee constituted by the executive council was final and that nothing more was left in the process except for a formal decision of the Chancellor, which will be released shortly,” it said.

CJI Gogoi asked them to call of their strike, the students body said, adding they have decided to end their agitation and boycott of exams from tomorrow.

Announcing the end of the stir, Hamza Tariq, the president of the Students Bar Association, thanked the CJI, Justice Bobde, Executive Committee, advocate Sankaranarayanan and the students.

Earlier, the BCI questioned the stand of the agitating students and alleged the campus is becoming home to “unruly elements among students who have forced a strike” and are boycotting classes at the institution.

“The students body is crossing its limit by trying to question the functioning of the Executive Council and accusing the Registrar by imputing motives on him for allegedly halting the process of appointment of Professor Sudhir Krishnaswamy as Vice-Chancellor, totally forgetting that the Registrar is also a senior professor of NLSIU and commands respect in the academic circles as an acclaimed teacher of law,” the BCI said in its statement.

Quoting media reports, it said a large number of student in the varsity boycotted the semester examinations which were scheduled to begin from Monday.

“The students body is indulging in acts of misdemeanour and indiscipline which is bringing down the image of the institution in the estimation of one and all,” the BCI said.

“The role of Professor Krishnaswamy behind the present agitation cannot be ruled out. To restore discipline in the campus, the decision to appoint him as Vice Chancellor should be reviewed by the Executive Council and suitable action taken against the students responsible for creating the present situation in the NLSIU campus,” it said.

“It is high time NLSIU in insulated from elements that pose a danger to the smooth functioning of the best law school built by decades of hard toil by most reputed legal luminaries of the country,” the statement said.

The BCI said that it was high time to address acts of “blatant indiscipline” by the students body and take stringent action against those behind the move.

It requested the Executive Council to include the BCI letter for discussion in its next meeting scheduled to be held on September 28.