RGNUL protest: Chancellor addresses students; three more members added to committee for mediation

Justice Nagu addressed the students via online platform WebEx, a day after the V-C constituted a two-member committee having “external members” to mediate in the ongoing dispute. The committee was formed on directions of the Chancellor, the notice undersigned by the V-C had said.

However, the protesting students had objected to the selection of members in the committee and said that both were previously associated with the V-C’s old institution, the University of Allahabad. They had alleged that if the V-C has single-handedly chosen members of the committee, then it can lead to bias and injustice. To address the concern of the students regarding members selected in the committee, the Chancellor allowed them to suggest three more names.

Considering the demand of students for addition of neutral faces in the committee, three more members were added on Wednesday. The new members are: Prof (Dr) Faizan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor, Chanakya National Law University, Patna; Gautam Bhatia, Constitutional Law Scholar and Advocate, and Dr Anindita Pujari, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court. The two members announced originally were: Prof (Dr) Archana Mishra, V-C, Dr BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat, Haryana, and Giribala Singh, President, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, students said: “On October 2, 2024, the student community of RGNUL was addressed by the committee formed as per the directions of the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Chancellor of RGNUL. In the meeting, concerns regarding the constitution of the committee were raised by the students… In response to the concerns, the Chancellor connected with the student community via WebEx. The Chancellor addressed the students and assured that action will be taken once the mediation is concluded, and the student community was allowed to suggest members and add them to the committee.” After three members were added, a fresh meeting was held with students as new members joined online while the two original ones were physically present.

In the meeting convened with the now five-member committee, issues and demands were raised, and students raised their objection to a report that was submitted by university’s Officiating Registrar Naresh Vats to Punjab’s Education Secretary K K Yadav. The report (copy with The Indian Express) had concluded that the V-C had visited the girls’ hostel for inspection only on the insistence of some first-year students who were having issues with furniture in their rooms.

It had added that even as the V-C apologised multiple times later, students kept demanding his resignation. Students have objected that the report did not mention that the V-C also entered rooms of third-year girls who had never complained.

“The student community notes the omission of a pertinent fact in the report signed by the then Officiating Registrar, Prof (Dr) Naresh Vats, that the Vice-Chancellor entered the third-year students’ rooms despite no grievance from them,” the statement said, adding that “the meeting concluded on the note that they need a specific mandate on the ambit of the committee and the student community will chalk out the requests and send them to the panel members. The student community reiterates its stance that the deliberations will be made with the five-member committee only”.