RMLNU student committee members resign over restructuring; express frustration with admin

Members of the Cultural Committee (CC) and the Debate and Discussion Committee (DDC) at Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow have collectively resigned over a restructuring of student committees for the session 2026-27.

All members of the Cultural Committee, except for three newly appointed office bearers who had no prior association with the committee, have resigned, students familiar with the matter told Bar & Bench. Most members of the DDC have also resigned, the students said.

Students have also sent an anonymous email to the University administration expressing frustration over the restructuring and other concerns about the University's academic and professional ecosystem.

The email suggests that student-led committees should have faculty supervision limited to budget approval and accountability, with students managing day-to-day operations. Faculty-led bodies, the email suggested, should instead focus on research centres, academic journals, internship and placement cells, and industry collaboration initiatives.

The students also expressed broader frustration over what they describe as the administration's failure to support placements and professional development.

The email further mentions allegations of an examination paper leak, claiming that question papers were sold for between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 and that the matter was suppressed internally.

The resignations follow a joint representation submitted to the Vice Chancellor (VC) on June 9 by 3 committees which had warned that members would resign by June 12 if their concerns over the restructuring were not addressed.

As per the resigning members, the decision was taken after exhausting all available institutional channels including individual representations, written communications and direct discussions with concerned authorities, reportedly none of which resulted in any substantive response from the administration.

The dispute is about a structural change that removed fifth year students from committee leadership roles.

On April 26, the administration informed committee conveners that the new structure would include Joint Conveners from the fourth year and mentors from the fifth year. However, a notice issued under the instructions of the VC on May 27 restricted applications to third and fourth year students only, with no mention of any mentorship positions.

A review of official committee constitutions published on the RMLNLU website shows that the appointments depart from the written constitutions of at least two committees. The Moot Court Committee and Internship and Placement Committee constitutions specify two Joint Conveners from the fifth year.

However, the June 4 notice constituting committees for the session 2026-27, signed by Prof Manish Singh as Head of Department of Legal Studies and issued with the approval of the VC, appointed fourth year students to the Joint Convener positions in both committees.

The notice also showed that the Treasurer of the Cultural Committee was drawn from third year. This, despite the constitution requiring an appointee from the fourth year.

Moreover, the notification inviting applications for committee leadership roles was issued during exams and appointment notifications were subsequently issued when a major chunk of the student body was not present on campus. As per resigning committee members, the consequence was that meaningful consultation, discussion and feedback from affected students was severely limited throughout the process.

According to students at RMLNLU, committee positions carry significant professional weight. The University does not offer institutional placements comparable to several peer institutions and students rely on committee leadership experience as a key credential for internships, recruitment and higher education applications, they say.

The resignations come against the backdrop of broader governance issues at RMLNLU. The University's Bar Council of India (BCI) approval has remained lapsed since academic year 2022-23. The BCI has even issued a show cause notice to RMLNLU, describing its public position on the recognition lapse as incomplete and misleading.

Bar & Bench sent written queries to Prof Manish Singh and the Vice Chancellor seeking responses to specific questions about the restructuring. On June 11, the University acknowledged the queries and assured a response by noon the following day. However, no response was received. Attempts to reach the administration by phone were also unsuccessful.