The recent decision by the Academic Council of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab, to propose the removal of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s name from the University’s title has sparked an intense debate.
The request to rename the institution as “National Law University, Punjab” has been submitted to the Executive Council and the Punjab government for final approval.
Political factions have predictably positioned themselves to either oppose the action as a divisive “election stunt” or to advocate for it as a rectification of “historical sensitivities.” However, the fundamental question remains conspicuously unexamined in public discourse: Should any National Law University be named after a political leader at all?
Established by the Punjab government under the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab Act, 2006, the University has functioned under this name for two decades. The current plan to rename it to “National Law University, Punjab” is reportedly intended to “neutralise historical sensitivities” and match the naming pattern of other NLUs. However, the reactions tell a warning tale. Congress leaders have indicated to reverse the decision if they come to power in 2027, with Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa claiming they will “restore the university’s original name with pride”. Punjab Youth Congress President Mohit Mohindra has urged the University’s Chancellor to reject the decision, characterising it as a politically driven attack on a leader’s legacy.
The University’s Executive Council member, Advocate Suvir Sidhu, underscored the solution by remarking that the push was because “most NLUs are identified either with the city or the state they are located in,” a neutral, geographical identity.
The NLUs established immediately after NLSIU Bangalore in 1986 chose neutral terms to lead five-year law programs. NLIU Bhopal (1997), NALSAR Hyderabad (1998) and WBNUJS Kolkata (1999) echoed this sentiment. Post-2000, RMLNLU Lucknow (2005) recognised socialist Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia under Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government, while RGNUL followed in 2006.
Around 8-10 of the 28 NLUs bear political names, generally reflecting establishment-era politics. RMLNLU remembers Lohia, a Samajwadi icon. HNLU Raipur (2003) is a nod to former Chief Justice of India and Vice-President of India M Hidayatullah’s dual legacy. DSNLU Visakhapatnam (2008) honours Congress leader Damodaram Sanjivayya. DBRANLU Sonipat (post-2012) invokes Dr BR Ambedkar’s constitutional stature. RPNLU Prayagraj was established in 2020 and renamed in 2023 after Dr Rajendra Prasad, following Yogi Adityanath’s 2021 vow.
The most compelling rationale for the geographical designation of National Law Universities (NLUs) is derived from the successful precedents established by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). These institutions are universally acknowledged by their geographically derived titles and no one would contend that their reputation diminishes due to the absence of a political leader’s name.
The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961
The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, which serves as the foundational legislation for IITs, instituted the geographical naming practice that persists to the present day. Section 2 designates several institutions as entities of national significance, whereas Section 4 expressly enumerates them by their geographical locations:
“1) Each of the Institutes mentioned in section 2 shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and a common seal and shall, by its name, sue and be sued.
(1A) The College of Engineering and Technology, Delhi shall, on such incorporation, be called the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.”
Subsequent changes incorporated IIT Guwahati, IIT Roorkee and others, all adhering to the same geographical norm. No IIT is named after a political leader.
The Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017
The Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017 is particularly relevant as it designated IIMs as Institutions of National Importance and established a uniform name scheme for their geographical locations. The Schedule to the Act identifies all IIMs with their location-based names. Most significantly, this Act dealt with the issue of political names directly. One institution, first designated as Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Shillong, underwent a name change in the Act to the strictly geographical Indian Institute of Management, Shillong. Parliament omitted the political prefix, providing a definitive legislative precedent for the current proposal of the RGNUL Academic Council.
This precedent is crucial because the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017 illustrates that political names can be evaluated and removed through a thorough legislative process when parliament thinks it necessary for institutional neutrality and consistency. Rather than harming the character of such institutions, this sort of standardisation might actually increase their identity by tying them to a place and region rather than to a political figure.
The push for a neutral, geographical identity is not merely an academic preference; it finds significant grounding in legislative deliberations. The 86th Report of the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice (2016) serves as a critical touchstone. The Committee highlighted that while NLUs have provided institutional leadership, most face severe financial constraints because state governments often cease funding after their establishment and the Union government provides limited support to state-legislated entities.
During the proceedings, an important stakeholder suggestion was recorded: that NLUs should be granted the status of “institutes of national importance/excellence” and be re-christened as “Indian Institutes of Law” (IIL), followed by their city name. The Committee formally recommended that NLUs be declared “institutes of national eminence” and treated at par with IITs and AIIMS. By advocating for these institutions to serve as national role models under a potential “common umbrella,” the report supports a shift toward a brand that is national in character and geographical in identity, rather than one tied to individual political legacies.
The “NLU [place]” standardisation model
Following the successful framework of the IITs and IIMs and echoing the “Indian Institute of Law” branding, as discussed in the 86th report, all NLUs should adopt a common geographical format. For RGNUL would become NLU Patiala. DSNLU would become NLU Visakhapatnam. RMLNLU would become NLU Lucknow.
Honouring legacies through chairs, not titles
If the state or political parties wish to recognise luminaries, they should establish endowed Chairs in their names at the universities. A “Rajiv Gandhi” or an “Atal Bihari Vajpayee” Chair for Technology and Law would be a far more significant and intellectual homage than putting a political prefix in the university’s main board. It adds to research and scholarship rather than politicising the institution’s identity.
The move to rename RGNUL is a critical opportunity to address a historical anachronism in legal education in India. The furious political opposition it has produced is the greatest possible justification for why such titles should never have been used at the outset. An institution dedicated to the rule of law must remain insulated from the political contestation. Its identity must be permanent, neutral and focused on its academic goal, not subject to the electoral cycle.
By turning to a uniform, geographical standard, we do not erase history; we protect our law academies from being entangled in it. We ensure that a university’s legacy is established on the calibre of lawyers it produces and the jurisprudence it shapes, not on the political fortunes of a namesake. The NLUs belong to the nation, not to any political faction. It is time their names reflected the truth.
Ayush Jaiswal is an Assistant Professor of Law at National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
Kanishk Dohare is a 3rd year student at National Law Institute University, Bhopal.