Male students at Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla have been asked to vacate their current hostels at short notice and relocate to University-rented hostels 5 kilometers away from the campus.

The notice dated September 11 directs students to relocate to the New Sood Hostel by September 13. It reads,

"With the approval of the Competent authority, all residents of Sood Boys Hostel are hereby informed that the hostel operations are being shifted to the New Sood Building, Galog Hostel with effect from Saturday, i.e. 13-09-2025."

Just three weeks into the academic semester, the relocation comes less than a month before mid-semester exams.

Admission intake at HPNLU has seen a marked increase from 120 students for existing batches to 210 for the new 2025-2030 batch.

Currently, a bus transport service plies between the campus and the New Sood Hostel, though students have raised concerns about the timings and convenience.

Students had approached the administration to request a delayed moving schedule and for student-friendly bus timings, to no avail. Speaking with Bar & Bench, a student said,

"The campus gym is located 7km from the new hostel. The new hostel lacks security and is in a forested area. For security, there is a warden and a guard, and sometimes the warden is absent."

Due to the increased intake of students, the administration has repurposed visitor rooms, mess areas and warden residences to accommodate new female students.

[Read notice]