By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 25 Aug: The controversy surrounding the future of the historic Kanya Gurukul Dehradun campus of Gurukul Kangri (Deemed to be University) has taken yet another turn, with students now raising serious questions over the transfer of teachers from the Dehradun campus to Haridwar even as the academic session is underway. The development has added to the growing uncertainty among the students over the future of the courses being conducted at the Dehradun campus.
The issue assumes significance as the university had included the courses being offered at the Dehradun campus in its prospectus for the year 2026 and students had taken admission on the basis of the courses, faculty and academic facilities announced by the university. The students are now questioning how teachers appointed or assigned to teach these courses can be transferred midway through the academic session and why the students should be asked to accept a change in the academic arrangement after they have already taken admission and paid their fees or take back their fee. One Professor of Sanskrit language and one of English language are the latest faculty to get transferred from Dehradun to Haridwar.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, interim Vice Chancellor of Gurukul Kangri (Deemed to be University), Dr Pratibha Mehta Luthra admitted that teachers from the Dehradun campus had been transferred to Haridwar. She attributed the decision to the paucity of students at the Dehradun campus. The admission of the interim Vice Chancellor that the transfers have taken place because of the low number of students, however, has raised questions about the manner in which the university is currently handling the courses for which admissions were invited and students were enrolled in Dehradun.
Speaking to this correspondent, Dr Luthra claimed that, given the shortage of students at the Dehradun campus, it is prudent for her to transfer the teachers to Haridwar where there are more students. She also denied allegations that the management of the university is planning to hand over the campus in due course of time to a private organisation. She claimed that the university is planning new courses in Dehradun which may get more admission. She said that the land on which the Dehradun College is established has been donated and legally it is not possible to transfer the land to any private organisation.
Meanwhile the students and those associated with the campus have questioned whether a shortage of students can constitute sufficient justification for altering the teaching arrangement after the academic session has already begun. They have also questioned the rationale behind asking students to take back the fees already deposited by them instead of ensuring that the courses advertised in the university prospectus are properly conducted at the campus where the students were admitted.
The students’ grievance is that they chose the Dehradun campus and the courses offered there on the basis of the university’s own prospectus. The prospectus is not merely an informal announcement but the document on the basis of which prospective students make their choice of institution and course and decide where to pursue their education. Having invited admissions for particular courses at Dehradun, the university, they contend, cannot reasonably be expected to alter the academic arrangement midway through the session without taking into account the interests and wishes of the students who have already been admitted.
The latest development has revived the concerns expressed by students, teachers, employees, alumni and other stakeholders over the future of the historic Kanya Gurukul campus. The issue had already come into sharp focus earlier this month when questions were raised over reports of attempts to shift academic activities from Dehradun to Haridwar. The more than century-old Kanya Gurukul campus has considerable historical and educational significance and was established with the objective of providing education to girls. Any move that affects its academic functioning has consequently generated considerable resentment among those associated with the institution.
The students had earlier alleged that the university administration was seeking to gradually shift academic activities from Dehradun to the Kanya Gurukul campus at Haridwar. They had also expressed concern over reports that permanent teachers serving in Dehradun could be transferred and that part-time teachers might subsequently be engaged for conducting postgraduate classes. The latest transfer of teachers has now given fresh impetus to these concerns.
The students are particularly aggrieved over the suggestion that they should withdraw from the courses or take back the fees deposited by them. They argue that the responsibility of ensuring adequate teaching arrangements rests with the university and that students who have taken admission after going through the prospectus should not be made to suffer because of an administrative decision taken after the commencement of the academic session.
The question being raised by the students is also whether the university had assessed the number of students and the viability of the courses before including them in the prospectus and inviting admissions. The controversy is therefore no longer confined to the larger question of whether the Kanya Gurukul Dehradun campus should continue in its existing form. It has now acquired a direct academic dimension involving the rights and interests of students who are already enrolled.
The developments are also significant against the backdrop of the wider administrative controversies surrounding Gurukul Kangri (Deemed to be University). As reported earlier by Garhwal Post, teachers and non-teaching employees have expressed resentment over various administrative decisions, while a dispute relating to the sponsor body of the university has also reached the Haridwar Civil Court. The continuing uncertainty has raised concerns among various stakeholders over the manner in which important decisions relating to the university’s academic and administrative affairs are being taken.
The students have also questioned whether the university can unilaterally change the location or teaching arrangements of a course after admissions have been completed, particularly when such a change is against the wishes of the students.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, some employees shared the agenda of the board meeting held on 22 August, 2026 where agenda point number 15 states discussion on shifting courses from Dehradun campus to Haridwar.
