Letter to education minister by P. WILSON Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)

25.12.2021

To,

1. The Hon’ble Union Minister of Education,
Government of India,
302-C, Shastri Bhawan,
New Delhi – 110001
minister.sm@gov.in
pstosm@gov.in

2. The Hon’ble Union Minister of Law and Justice,
Government of India,
Shastri Bhawan,
A Wing, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road,
New Delhi,
Delhi (NCT), 110001
mljoffice@gov.in
krijiju@gmail.com

3. The Hon’ble Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment,
Government of India,
201 C Wing,Shastri Bhawan,
New Delhi – 110001
officesjem@gmail.com

4. The Secretary to Government
Department of Higher Education,
Education Ministry,
Government of India,
127-C, Shastri Bhawan,
New Delhi – 110001
secy.dhe@nic.in

5. The Secretary to Government
Department of Legal Affairs,
Ministry of Law and Justice,
4th Floor, A Wing, Shastri Bhawan
New Delhi – 110001
secylaw-dla@nac.in

6. The Secretary to Government
Department of Social Justice and Empowerment,
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,
Shastri Bhawan, C – Wing,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road,
New Delhi – 110001
officesjem@gmail.com

7. Chief Secretary,
Government of Karnataka,
Room No.320, Vidhana Soudha,
Bangalore- 560001
cs@karnataka.gov.in

8. The Vice Chancellor,
National Law School of India University,
Nagarbhavi, Bangalore-560072,
Karnataka, India.
vc@nls.ac.in

9. Chief Secretary,
Government of Telangana,
Secretariat, Saifabad,
Hyderabad. cs@telangana.gov.in

10. The Vice Chancellor,
NALSAR University of law,
Justice City, Shameerpet, Medchal District,
Hyderabad-500101.
vc@nalsar.ac.in

11. Chief Secretary,
Government of West Bengal,
Writers’ Buildings, West Bengal, India. cs-westbengal@nic.in

12. The Vice Chancellor,
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences,
Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan, 12, LB Block, Sector III,
Salt Lake city, Kolkata-700098.
vc@nujs.edu

13. Chief Secretary,
Government of Rajasthan,
Secretariat, Ashok Nagar,
Jaipur 302005,
Rajasthan. csraj@rajasthan.gov.in

14. The Vice Chancellor,
National Law University,
Jodhpur Nh-65, Nagpur Road,
Mandore, Jodhpur-342304,
Rajasthan.
nlu-jod-rj@nic.in

15. Chief Secretary,
Government of Madhya Pradesh,
Plot No. 27 & 28, Jail Rd, Arera Hills, Bhopal- 462027

16. The Vice Chancellor,
The National Law Institute University,
Kerwa Dam Road,
Bhopal-462044, Madhya Pradesh.
vc@nliu.ac.in

17. Chief Secretary,
Government of Uttar Pradesh
101, Lok Bhawan, U.P. Civil Secretariat,
Vidhan Sabha Marg
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001.
csup@nic.in

18. The Vice Chancellor,
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University,
Sector-D-1, LDA Colony, Kanpur Road Scheme,
Lucknow-226012, Uttar Pradesh.
vc@rmlnlu.ac.in

19. Chief Secretary,
Government of Chattisgarh,
D.K.S. Bhawan, Mantralaya, Raipur,
Chhattisgarh – 492001.

20. The Vice Chancellor,
Hidayatullah National Law University,
Atal Nagar, Raipur-492002,
Chhattisgarh.
vc@hnlu.ac.in

21. Chief Secretary,
Government of Punjab
Room No 28, 6th Floor, Punjab Civil Secretariat,
Chandigarh-160001, Punjab.

22. The Vice Chancellor,
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab,
Sidhuwal, Bhadson Road,
Patiala-147006.
vc@rgnul.ac.in

23. Chief Secretary,
Government of Gujarat
1st Block, 5th Floor Sardar Bhavan Sachivalaya,
Gandhinagar – 382010
chiefsecretary@gujarat.gov.in

24. The Vice Chancellor,
Gujarat National Law University,
Attalika Avenue, Knowledge Corridor,
Koba, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382426.
vc@gnlu.ac.in

25. Chief Secretary,
Government of Bihar,
7, Circular Road,
Near Lokayukta Office, Rajbansi Nagar,
Patna, Bihar 800022.

26. The Vice Chancellor,
Chanakya National Law University,
Nyaya Nagar, Mithapur,
Patna-800001, Bihar.
vc@cnlu.ac.in

27. Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala,
Room No. 357(A) & 358, Main Block,
Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala.
chiefsecy@kerala.gov.in

28. The Vice Chancellor,
National University of Advanced Legal Studies,
NUALS Campus, HMT Colony P.O Kalamassery,
Kochi – 683503, Kerala.
vc@nuals.ac.in

29. Chief Secretary,
Government of Odisha,
General Administration Department,
Odisha Secretariat, Bhubaneswar – 751001.

30. The Vice Chancellor,
National Law University Odisha,
Kathajodi Campus, Sector 13,
CDA, Cuttack-753015.
vc@nluo.ac.in

31. Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand,
1st Floor, Project Building, Dhurwa,
Ranchi – 834004, Jharkhand.
cs-jharkhand@nic.in

32. The Vice Chancellor,
National University of Study and Research in Law,
Ranchi, AT-Nagri, P.O – Bukru, Kanke-Pithoria Road, Kanke
Ranchi – 834006, Jharkhand.
vc@nusrlranchi.ac.in

33. Chief Secretary, Government of Assam,
Assam Sachivalaya, Block C, 3rd Floor,
Dispur, Guwahati -781006, India.

34. The Vice Chancellor,
National Law University and Judicial Academy, Hajo Road, Amingaon, Guwahati–781031, Assam.
vc@nluassam.ac.in

35. Chief Secretary,
Government of Andhra Pradesh
1st Block, 1st Floor, Interim Government Complex,
A.P Secretariat Office, Velagapudi – 522 503.

36. The Vice Chancellor,
Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law university
“NYAYAPRASTHA”, Sabbavaram,
Visakhapatnam-531035, Andhra Pradesh, India.
dsnluvsp@gmail.com vc@dsnlu.ac.in

37. Chief Secretary,
Government of Haryana,
47, 9th Floor, Haryana Civil Secretariat, Sector-1
Chandigarh- 160001
cs@hry.nic.in

38. Vice-Chancellor,
Dr. BR Ambedker National Law University,
Ranjiv Gandhi Education City,
Rai, Sonepat, Haryana 131021.
vc@dbranlu.ac.in

39. Chief Secretary,
Government of Maharashtra,
624 6Ht Floor Gen. Administrative Dept,
Madam Cama Road Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400032.

40. The Vice Chancellor,
Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai,
2nd & 6th Floor, CETTM-MTNL Building, Technology St,
Hiranandani Gardens,
Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400076.
vc@mnlumumbai.edu.in

41. The Vice Chancellor,
Maharashtra National Law University Nagpur,
Near Village Waranga,
PO: Dongargaon (Butibori),
Nagpur-441108, Maharashtra, India
vc@nlunagpur.ac.in

42. The Vice Chancellor,
Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad Rd,
Padampi Colony,
Padampura, Aurangabad-431005(MS).
vc@mnlua.ac.in

43. Chief Secretary,
Government of Himachal Pradesh,
Chief Electoral Office Block No. 38
SDA Complex Kasumpti,
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 171009

44. The Vice Chancellor,
Himachal Pradesh National Law University,
P.O. Shakrah, Sub-Tehsil-Dhami,
District – Shimla171014, H.P
registrar@hpnlu.ac.in vc@hpnlu.ac.in

45. Chief Secretary,
Government of Tamil Nadu. Secretariat, Fort St. George,
Chennai 600 009, Tamil Nadu, India.

46. The Vice Chancellor, Tamilnadu National Law University, Dindigul Main Road, Navalurkuttappattu,
Tiruchirappalli – 620 027, Tamil Nadu, India.
vicechancellor@tnnlu.ac.in

Respected Sir/Madam,
Vanakkam!

Sub: Reservations in All India Seats and State /Local Domicile Seats in National Law Schools/University – Non-Implementation of OBC/BC Category Reservations in the courses offered by the NLUs – Regarding.

Social Justice is a cornerstone principle that is entrenched in our Constitution and also enshrined in the preamble. As you are all aware, the Bar and the Bench are the two wheels of the chariot of the Judiciary, which is one of the three pillars of Government established by the Constitution. The judiciary has a massive role to play in the upliftment of the oppressed and backward classes of society. The sequitur therefore is that there should be adequate representation for these classes in legal education, which is the grassroot level.

In this regard, it is crucial to ensure adequate opportunities and representation starting from the roots of legal education, that is law schools. The constitutional requirement of giving adequate opportunity to students from the oppressed, depressed, and weaker sections of the society through affirmative action is fundamental to securing social justice in the field of legal education. Reservations granted to the OBC, SC and ST need to be scrupulously implemented in legal educational institutions.

While so, it has been brought to my notice that some of the National Law Schools / Universities established under State legislations have not been providing reservations to Backward Classes/OBCs in the ‘All India’ seats and in ‘State quota/Local Domicile’ seats. It is further alarming that while the NLU administrations have been proactive in providing reservations for NRIs and Foreign Nationals, they have completely failed to provide the constitutionally mandated reservations for Backward Classes, as per the relevant state reservation laws in the said seats. More so, the State reservations to the seats in ‘state quota/local domicile’ is only being followed in very few NLUs. For instance, the State of Tamil Nadu has enacted the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institution and of appointments or posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1994, under which 69% reservations have been provided for OBCs, SC and ST in educational institutions and jobs. The Tamil Nadu National Law University is implementing the aforesaid State reservation in State quota/Local Domicile seats. However, other NLUs are not following State reservations even in their State seats. It is saddening to note that all the NLUs are not providing state specific reservation in their All India Seats. There is no justification for a University constituted under a State enactment to not follow State laws on reservations both for State quota/Local Domicile and All India Seats. The failure to provide reservations in NLUs in both type of seats have deprived a large section of students from Other Backward classes from having an opportunity to obtain legal education from the top State Universities and is in violation of Article 15(4) and Article 46 of the Constitution, and the relevant State reservation Acts/notifications.

In the same spirit, the National Commission for Backward Classes vide its observation dated 10/06/2020 regarding File No. NCBC/06/10/113/2019-CP/AT, exercised its powers under Article 338B of the Constitution of India and recommended the University Grants Commission to strictly monitor and implement reservation for OBC candidates in ‘all India’ seats and relevant percentage as recommended by respective State Governments in ‘local domicile’ seats. The Commission had called for a compliance report in this regard and also suggested stringent action against universities that violate the rule of reservation. This compliance report, if any, by the UGC should be made public in order to ensure transparency and accountability.

At this juncture I am to state that “The Central Education Institutions (Reservation and Admission) Act of 2006” is not applicable to the NLUs established under the Acts of the State legislatures. Therefore, State specific reservation laws must be followed for the entirety of the seats in the National Law Universities.

Therefore, through this letter, I seek your kind attention to this most pressing issue and to do the needful to ensure the strict implementation of reservations for OBC, SC & ST students as per the provisions of the relevant State Acts/ Rules/ Notifications/ Orders in all the seats (including the All-India seats and State/Local Domicile seats) in UG, PG and Diploma courses at National Law Universities at least from the 2022-23 academic year and thereafter.

Thanking you,
P. WILSON
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)