NLU Tripura students flag safety, governance lapses; demand Registrar from outside State

Students of National Law University, Tripura (NLUT) have accused the University administration of safety and governance lapses.

On September 14, students wrote anonymously to the President of Consortium of National Law Universities, with copies to the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) the Bar Council of India (BCI), the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Tripura's Higher Education department seeking a reply within 10 days.

VC Prof (Dr) Yogesh Pratap Singh's response called several of the students' concerns "routine" issues faced by every university.

The letter alleged that the in-charge Registrar, Dr Jayanta Dhar, then an Assistant Professor, had been appointed without any disclosed statutory basis. It further said that financial disclosures fell short of Right to Information (RTI) Act requirements and that faculty on the roster had not been on campus in four years.

The students claimed that venomous snakes had been found in the Girls Hostel, with no remedial action taken thereafter. It also claimed that evaluated answer scripts were being withheld from students. The letter also mentioned that no grievance mechanism existed under Section 16(ix) of the NLUT Act.

VC Singh's response opened with a reference to Prof Nachiketa Mittal, the former Registrar in-charge, who resigned in May 2026 after facing sexual harassment allegations.

Singh said that Prof Mittal had made "certain admissions" before resigning, that the Executive Council had accepted the resignation and that the matter was now sub judice. He said that there were concerns that attempts were being made to seek withdrawal of the resignation. Assuring the students the University would not allow his return.

"Since then, there have also been repeated attempts to circulate allegations against the University through videos, social media platforms and anonymous communications addressed to various institutions. There have also been attempts to involve and influence certain students in these matters. The University will not be distracted by such activities and will continue to respond to any genuine concern through appropriate institutional and legal channels," the VC's reply added.

Furthermore, Singh told the students that the current Registrar in-charge had been appointed by the Government of Tripura under the NLUT Act. However, an office order shows that Prof Dhar's 2026 appointment was approved by VC Singh and signed only by the Assistant Registrar, with no mention of the State government.

He also said that the FY 2025-26 statutory audit was complete and would go before the Governing Council. The remaining issues, including the snakes, the scripts and the attendance claims, he said, were "routine" matters that the administration would resolve.

The students rejected any suggestion of sympathy for Mittal. They said that their real concern was that the circumstances of his removal were never disclosed to students whose safety had been at risk.

They said they had sought transparency about Dhar's appointment for two specific reasons: first, to understand how and why an individual serving as a contractual professor came to be appointed as Registrar; and second, because they remain dissatisfied with both the process and the qualifications underlying that appointment. Citing the university's national character, they demanded that the next Registrar come from outside Tripura and urged the State government to act urgently.

On faculty, the students said years of feedback had produced no action and accused the administration of being "inactive" and "deaf at the time of criticism." They demanded the promised faculty strength.

On the audit, they said they wanted to know where student funds were actually spent and disputed the "routine" label, referring to male students being housed beside ongoing construction and what they called hazardous pollution.

They asked Singh to read their original letter, demanded a dated response rather than one deferred "in due course," and asked that it be circulated to students and faculty.

"This is not a favour but a demand for the fulfilment of our statutory rights," they said.

Bar & Bench made attempts to reach VC Singh for comment, to no avail.