Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 18 Mar: BJP leader Ravindra Jugran has expressed deep concern and anger over the fact that even after 25 years of the formation of Uttarakhand, a National Law University has still not been established in the state.
He stated that although the foundation stone for the proposed university at Listrabad near Rani Pokhri, Dehradun, was laid in March 2019 by the then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the project has not progressed since.
On that occasion, the then Higher Education Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat and the local Member of Parliament and former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ were also present.
He further pointed out that the Uttarakhand National Law University Act was passed in 2011 and later amended in 2018. Despite this, the state continues to lag behind. He noted that Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, which were formed around the same time as Uttarakhand, established their National Law Universities in 2003 and 2010, respectively.
Jugran added that all Himalayan states such as Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura already have National Law Universities, while in Jammu & Kashmir, the matter remains pending due to a dispute over location between Srinagar and Jammu.
He emphasised that almost all states in the country have long established National Law Universities. Several years have passed since cabinet approval was granted for the university at Listrabad near Rani Pokhri in Dehradun, and even the Uttarakhand High Court has been informed about the matter.
Jugran concluded by stating that today there is a growing need for legal experts in sectors such as defence, corporate, agriculture, and education. This field offers immense employment potential, yet the continued inaction of the legislature is difficult to understand.
