Professor Nishtha Jaswal has taken over as the new Vice-Chancellor of the Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU).

She becomes the third woman currently serving as a Vice-Chancellor at a National Law University, along with Dr. Poonam Saxena of the National Law University, Jodhpur and Dr. Kamala Sankaran of the Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU). Dr. Rose Varghese, who formerly occupied the office at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi, retired last month.

With over three decades of teaching and research experience, Professor Nishtha Jaswal specialises in Constitutional law, Administrative law, Human Rights and Environmental law. She has over fifty research papers and at least four books to her credit. She was a gold medalist during her college years. She went on to receive a Visiting Professorship award from the British Academy in 1992. 

She has served various roles through the course of her prolific career, including as a member of Chandigarh State Legal Services Authority, the Punjab Legal Services Authority, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee of the Chandigarh Judicial Academy, and the Academic Planning Board of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, among others.

She has also been a member of the Board of studies for various Universities including Kurukshetra University, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Himachal Pradesh University and the University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University.

Prior to taking charge as HP NLU’s new VC, she was the Chairperson of the Law Department at Panjab University, Chandigarh. She was also the Chief Editor of the Panjab University Law Review. 

She takes over the post of Vice-Chancellor at HPNLU from Dr Subhash C Raina, who had taken charge as its first VC following its creation in 2016. As per reports, Professor Jaswal took charge of her office for a five year term on November 22. Her husband, Dr. Paramjit Singh Jaswal, is Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala.