Students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala continue to protest for the thirteenth day, even as Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Jai S Singh refuses to step down.
The protests broke out when the VC visited the girls' hostel rooms without consent or prior notice and made inappropriate comments on the attire of female students.
On October 3, Prof Singh spoke to the students post mediation efforts, and stated that he would prefer to resign within a month than be subjected to an inquiry.
However, when Bar & Bench reached out to Prof Singh for comment, he denied having told the student community that he would resign.
Earlier, Chancellor of RGNUL and Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Sheel Nagu had directed that the on-campus dispute be settled by mediation.
A two-member committee (University-appointed) had been constituted for the mediation talks, comprising Vice-Chancellor of Dr BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat Prof Archana Mishra and President of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at Bhopal, Giribala Singh.
Notably, the two members of the committee are alumni of Allahabad University, where Prof Singh has previously held the position of Dean of Faculty of Law.
After the students raised concerns regarding the composition of the committee, the Chancellor allowed the student community to suggest members and add them to the panel. The new members subsequently added to the committee are Vice-Chancellor of Chanakya National Law University, Patna Prof Faizan Mustafa, Senior Advocate Dr Anindita Pujari, and Advocate Gautam Bhatia (student-nominated).
A meeting with all the members was conducted on the afternoon of October 2. During this meeting, the students submitted a letter of requests to the panel.
However, it appears that not all members of the committee are on the same page. The students told Bar & Bench that the University-appointed members submitted a report to the Chancellor without informing the student-nominated members, and asked the protesting students to resume classes immediately.
In this light, the students continue to demand for either the resignation of the VC, or an independent inquiry into the actions of the VC.
The students are protesting the unannounced entry of the VC into the girls' hostel on September 22.
A video circulating on social media shows that Vice-Chancellor Singh is seen inspecting the rooms of the female inmates. When the inmates object, he is seen assuring the female students that he is not conducting the inspection alone but is accompanied by a female warden.
Bar & Bench had reached out to Prof Singh, who explained that complaints by some female hostel inmates about the quality of the mess food and other hostel amenities prompted his visit. He added that the hostel warden accompanied him during his inspection.
In a letter addressed to the Chancellor, the students said that instead of addressing their concerns, the RGNUL administration decided to close the University on September 23.
According to the letter, the Vice-Chancellor had also made impromptu classroom and library visits, during which he made discouraging comments about students' academic and co-curricular pursuits.
The students demand the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor as well as an unconditional apology. Additionally, they have called for the formation of an RGNUL Student Bar Association to better represent their interests.