Seepage forces DNLU Jabalpur classes, exams to go online as students still await permanent campus

Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU), Jabalpur has shifted classes and mid-term examinations online after declaring several classrooms unfit for use owing to seepage.

In a notice dated September 9, the University said that seepage had rendered several classrooms unfit for use and that adequate seating could not be arranged for the mid-term examinations. As a result, from September 11, classes and exams would be online until September 30, with resumption of physical classes to be notified separately.

That notification came on September 24 when DNLU's Academic Office emailed all students with a revised schedule. The email stated that after the exams end on September 28, online classes will continue till October 1. It further stated that October 5 onwards, students are welcome to join offline classes.

However, a lot of students had already gone home after the September 9 notice and were finding it difficult to return given the availability and cost of transport. Further, since DNLU will remain shut from October 17 to 26 on account of Navratri, the University said it would hold hybrid classes till October 16. The email also said that the mode of classes would be reassessed once the Navratri break ended.

According to students, no repair work was visible in the days after the notice was issued and that the University was already aware of the seepage before its summer break in June and July, during which no repair work was carried out.

With mid-term examinations held online, some students also raised concerns about the reliability of online assessment, arguing that it leaves more room for malpractice than in-person exams.

The shortage of classrooms has also renewed concerns on the status of DNLU's permanent campus that remains under construction. DNLU currently operates out of the Bharat Ratna Bhim Rao Ambedkar Institute of Telecom Training (BRBRAITT) campus in Jabalpur.

According to students, the University has indicated that academic operations could shift to the permanent campus as early as next semester, but has stopped short of guaranteeing the shift. However, the site currently has only two completed structures - the boys' and the girls' hostels.

In December 2025, the Madhya Pradesh government approved ₹197.13 crore for Phase-II of the permanent campus, covering an administration block, an academic block, staff housing and a boundary wall. A construction tender for this phase - worth approximately ₹159 crore with a 730-day work period - drew bids that closed in January 2026 and financial bids opened on February 17, 2026. A work period of that length from around that point would place completion well beyond the semester, students say.

Against this backdrop, some students said that they were left wondering what exactly they were paying fees for. DNLU charges ₹3,15,000 (excluding mess fees) for the first year of its B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) programme.

"We're paying full fees for a University that still doesn't have its own academic building, 8 years after it was set up. Nobody has told us what happens if the new campus isn't ready by next semester," one student said.

Students say they have little control over how any of this is resolved.

"We can attend classes, write our exams, and pay our fees on time. We can't fix the seepage ourselves and we can't build the academic block either. All we want is for someone to tell us clearly what is being done, and when," a student said.

This isn't the first time DNLU has faced questions over student welfare and administration. In 2022, students went on a hunger strike over hostel conditions, alleged misconduct by a hostel warden and other grievances. Just a few days before the strike, students had also moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court challenging a fee the University had introduced for remedial classes.

Bar & Bench reached out to the Registrar of DNLU seeking comment on the status of repairs, the reliability of online examinations and the realistic timeline for the shift to the permanent campus. No response has yet been received.