The Jharkhand high court on Friday pulled up the state government for not providing regular funds to Ranchi-based National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL) observing that the “government should shut down the varsity if it doesn’t want to run it.”

A division bench of chief justice Ravi Ranjan and justice Sujit Narayan Prasad said that the government’s apathy towards this premiere institution was difficult to understand.

It summoned the chief secretary and finance and building construction departments’ secretaries asking them to appear personally on the next date of hearing on March 6 to explain the government’s inaction.

Set up in 2010 by one-time grant provided by the state government, NUSRL has its own campus in Ranchi’s Kanke area. It offers undergraduate integrated five-year LLB (Hons) and various other courses. But, the institution is facing fund crunch to set up some more infrastructures urgently required for the students.

Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), the high court bench said that as per the NUSRL Act, the state government, bar council, bar associations and others ought to provide financial aid to the varsity.

“The government can’t deny from extending financial support to the institution university. Worse, it charges electricity bill from the institution for the street lights which the government had set up on the varsity campus and adjoining areas. The government can behave like this with such a reputed institution,” the bench said.

Jharkhand high court bar association, however, highlighted that the government was not providing any financial support to the institution due to which additional buildings, library and other infrastructure could not be constructed causing much discomfort to the students.

The state government clarified that it had sanctioned one time grant of Rs 50 crore to the university. It stated that as per the cabinet’s decision, the government would not make any further grant.

HC observations

Court summons chief secretary, finance and building construction secretaries

Govt is slapping electricity bills for street lights

Govt’s apathy towards this premiere institution is beyond imagination

Govt has to follow the laws