PU alumnus donates one-kanal plot worth Rs 3 cr to Panjab University

The plot will be managed by the university, and the proceeds from its sale will form the corpus of the Prof D N Jauhar Endowment. As per the approved structure, 60 per cent of the annual income generated from the corpus will be used for academic activities while 40 per cent will be reinvested to ensure sustainability. The endowment will support three annual programmes: an international law moot court competition, an annual lecture, and an award for achievement, said an official of PU.

PU Vice-Chancellor Vig lauded Professor Jauhar for setting an important benchmark for the university’s alumni. “We thank him for this valuable endowment, which will strengthen academic work at the Department of Laws. His initiative shows the strong bond our alumni have with the university, and we hope others will also come forward to contribute to the growth of their alma mater,” she said.

Professor Jauhar said the endowment reflects his long-standing association with Panjab University and his intention to contribute meaningfully to future generations of students and scholars at the Department of Laws.

Professor Jauhar, a distinguished PU alumnus, completed all his higher education at the university, from matriculation to PhD, and joined the Department of Laws in 1970 as the youngest permanent faculty member after securing 501 out of 800 marks in LLM, a university record dating back to its Lahore era. His research has been cited by the Supreme Court of India and High Courts, and he served the department for 39 years before retiring as chairperson in 2009. He later served as Vice-Chancellor of Dr B R Ambedkar University, Agra, and as Dean, Faculty of Law, GNDU (Guru Nanak Dev University), Amritsar.

Guided by his principle of “learn, earn and return”, Professor Jauhar described the endowment as part of his commitment to societal and institutional responsibility. In 2019, he executed India’s first registered advance directive (living will), and in 2023 he formalised his decision to donate his body and organs to PGI to support medical education and research.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jauhar said that his children have supported him in every decision, including this one of donating the plot to PU.
“My kids have seen me whole life, have learnt from me, they have seen me achieving. They are even involved in my every decision,” said Dr Jauhar.

Telling about the plot, he said that it is a GMADA-approved plot, which he bought, and got it registered in his name in 2014.

Currently staying in Sector 37, Chandigarh, Dr Jauhar said that he has lived most of his life with his family on PU campus and then in Sector 37. He never thought of shifting to Mohali.