HNLU vice-chancellor Sukhpal Singh resigns after week-long protests by students seeking his ouster

Raipur: Vice-chancellor of Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) Sukhpal Singh, whose continuance at the post was opposed by students on various counts, resigned on Monday. Singh stepped down after a number of students started an indefinite hunger strike on Monday morning for their demand to remove the V-C who was granted a five-year extension in 2016. Students have been protesting since 25 September inside the varsity campus located in Atal Nagar- the upcoming capital city of Chhattisgarh against continuation of Singh. Students had said they had lost faith in the “incompetent” administration and “arbitrary and discriminatory” decision making style of Singh. [caption id=“attachment_5106321” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Students protesting in front of the Hidayatullah National Law University. Image Courtesy: 101Reporters/Vandana Agarwarl[/caption] They had also accused Singh of committing financial irregularities and not taking action in sexual harassment cases against four faculty members. “I offered my resignation letter to Chancellor and Chhattisgarh High Court Chief Justice AK Tripathi this evening (Monday) which has been accepted”, Singh said. He refused to talk about the reason mentioned in his resignation letter. Students have described the resignation as a victory against the “corruption and maladministration” in the university, said Harsh Bajoria, a member of the SBA (Student Bar Association). He said the protest against the VC started, after he failed to give a satisfactory reply to the issues raised by the students in the general body meeting held on 25 September. Singh had refuted the charges and termed them as “false” and “fabricated”. He had claimed that some teachers of the varsity were trying to use the students to tarnish his image by levelling fake and fabricated charge. On 27 August, the Chhattisgarh High Court had quashed the extension given to Singh as V-C on the ground that the recommendation for his extension was based on a statute that had not come into effect. However, the Supreme Court stayed the order of the high court on 20 September, following which Singh was reinstated. Singh was appointed as VC in March 2011. He was granted an extension of five years in 2016.