HNLU extends library timings at law school, day after interim vice-chancellor meets protesting students

After witnessing over a week of student protests, the Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) in Chhattisgarh’s Naya Raipur has agreed to fulfil one of their key demands — to extend the library timings.

In an order on Wednesday, interim vice-chancellor Ravishankar Sharma said the HNLU administration has decided to allow students access to the library till 3 am. “The students have been demanding extension of library timings round the clock and are willing to study. The university believes that they are responsible persons and will maintain the dignity and faith reposed in them,” Sharma said in the order.

The order added that separate registers will be maintained in each hostel for students willing to avail the library facility during the extended timings. “Hostel-wise registers will also be maintained in the library, wherein corresponding entries are to be made by each student while entering and leaving the library,” Sharma said.

He also asserted that the students will not be allowed to wander in or outside the campus. “Moving outside the campus beyond the permitted hours, i.e. beyond 9 pm, shall be strictly prohibited,” it said.

The HNLU administration’s order comes a day after Sharma met the protesting students. He had agreed to most of their demands, and the final round of discussions were held on Wednesday morning.

The students had earlier planned to launch a hunger strike from Wednesday. But with the interim vice-chancellor’s directive, it will likely not be held.

On 27 August, the Chhattisgarh High Court had declared the re-appointment of professor Sukh Pal Singh as the vice-chancellor of HNLU “illegal”. In the interim, Sharma, who is the Chhattisgarh principal secretary (department of law), was appointed the vice-chancellor. Students at the HNLU launched their protest after they learned that Singh was planning to challenge the high court order.

The students had protested for the removal of the hostel curfews and demanded the appointment of independent wardens in place of faculty members, who double as wardens.

The hostel curfew, which put a 10.30-pm deadline on students to return to their rooms, was raised as a prominent issue as the students are of the view that they should be allowed access to the entire campus at all hours without any discrepancies or exceptions.

In a letter by the Student Bar Association, HNLU, the protesters had said that many of them on campus identify with different genders, and therefore, reside in other hostels. The students said the imposition of the rules was hindering their academic and extra-curricular activities, such as holding moot court competitions, collaborative research papers and access to the library and other resources.

With inputs from PTI