Gujarat National Law University

Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) is a National Law University established under the Gujarat National Law University Act, 2003 in the state of Gujarat.^[1] The university is located at Gandhinagar, which is the capital of Gujarat and is located 23 kilometers north of the city of Ahmedabad. The statute provides that the Chief Justice of India or a Senior Supreme Court Judge serve as the Visitor of the university. The Director, Bimal N. Patel serves as the chief administrator. The university started in 2004 and has five batches of 180 students each under training.

History

The GNLU was the seventh National Law University to be set up in the country.

GNLU was formed in the year 2003 by the efforts of the then Solicitor General of India, Kirit Raval, the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the Bar Council of India. The University is based on the structure of National Law School of India University. GNLU was the seventh National Law University to be set up in the country. It was established with the active support of the Government of India, the Government of Gujarat and the judicial fraternity. V.S. Mani was the first Director,

Courses offered

The Academic Block of GNLU

GNLU is the sole National Law University (NLU) in India which offers integrated law degree courses in five distinct streams:

• Bachelor of Arts BA, LLB (Hons.)
• Bachelor of Commerce BCom, LLB (Hons.)
• Bachelor of Business Administration BBA, LLB (Hons.)
• Bachelor of Social Work BSW, LLB (Hons.)
• Bachelor of Science BSc, LLB (Hons.)

LLM courses are offered in:

• International And Comparative Law
• Corporate And Commercial Law
• New Economic Laws
• Constitutional And Administrative Law
• Intellectual Property Rights

Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister of India and Former Supreme Court Judge K.S. Panicker Radhakrishnan at the university to inaugurate a National Seminar at the Center For Banking Investment And Taxation.

The university also offers doctoral (Ph.D.) programs in law and other interdisciplinary fields along with various diploma programs. The University actively promotes research in Maritime and Real Estate laws. Diploma and Special Certificate Programmes are offered in

• Environmental Law
• Criminology and Forensic Management
• Labour Law, Labour Welfare, and Personnel Management
• Internet Law and Policy
• Real Estate Laws
• Intellectual Property, Law, Management and Policy
• Entrepreneurship Management and Corporate laws
• Law and Economics

GNLU offers Online Diploma Courses on Intellectual Property Law, Advanced Business Laws, and Cyber Law.

GNLU also has a summer school certificate program of Cyber Law & Cyber Security. The GNLU Indian Business & Commercial Laws Academy also conducts a summer school in Corporate laws.

University officials

Vice President of India, Prime Minister of India along with the Governor of Gujarat, and other Supreme Court of India Judges.

The Chief Justice of India serves as the Chairman of the General Council of the University. He also serves as the Visitor and ex-officio Chancellor of the university. Bimal N. Patel, a former United Nations civil servant, scholar, and academician of international law and diplomacy, is the Director and Vice Chancellor of the University. He has prepared administrative, procedural and substantive jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Labour Organization Administrative Tribunal (Geneva). He has delivered numerous lectures, including one at Cambridge University, UK, and has received several honors. He also served at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Hague, Netherlands.^[2]

• Registrar – Dr. Thomas Mathew
• Dean (Academic Affairs) - Prof.(Dr.) Ravindra Kumar Singh
• Dean (Research) - Prof. (Dr.) Ranita Nagar
• Dean (Student Welfare) - Dr. Sugnesh Chudasama
• Dean (Extension) - Dr. Viral Pandya
• Dean (Training) - Dr. Saira Gori

Admissions

The Foundation Stone

Admissions to GNLU were originally done on the basis of a separate entrance exam conducted by the university itself. After a Supreme Court ruling directing that all law entrance examinations must be clubbed together, the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) was introduced in 2008. The first CLAT was conducted by NLSIU. As of 2014, all admissions in GNLU, for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs, are made on the basis of performance in the CLAT. In 2013, for the Undergraduate CLAT, a total of 30000 students contested for 180 seats, making the examination one of the most competitive in India. GNLU has an acceptance rate of a mere 0.012%.^[3]

Schools of Excellence

A high-level training programme for Naval Officers. GNLU has established itself as the leading university for Maritime Laws in South Asia. GNLU also hosted an International Maritime Academy in 2015 which was attended by 35 officers from Navy, Ports, and CISF.

Gujarat National Law University has these "schools of excellence" in particular fields of law. These schools are as follows:

• School of Law, Science and Technology
• School of Public Law and Policy Sciences
• School of Criminal Law and Criminology
• School of Law and Economics
• School of Personal Laws
• School of Social Studies
• School of Physical and Life Sciences
• School of Studies in ADR Mechanism
• School of Disaster Management^[4]

Centres

Centers of Excellence, present at GNLU, function in niche areas of the economy for the dissemination of specialized knowledge and professional excellence. MoUs and active academic/research partnership and collaboration at the international, national and state levels with the University of Mauritius, University of Malaya, CUTS Institute of Regulation and Competition, New Delhi (National), Haifa University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, University of Barcelona, IDSE, Institute Barcelona, Spain, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Geneva, Switzerland, World Trade Institute (WTI), Bern, Switzerland, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Rome, Italy, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Law, Copenhagen, Denmark, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, the Netherlands. Gujarat Forensic Science University, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Raksha Shakti University, Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Nirma University are some of the local collaborations. Optional Papers on Foreign Legal and Judicial Systems are taught by visiting foreign professors.

Ambassador of Israel to India with the Vice Chancellor. He was at GNLU to deliver a lecture at the Centre For Foreign Policy And Security Studies.

• Centre For Distance Education
• Centre For Food Security And Agro-Economy
• Centre For Foreign Policy And Security Studies
• Center For Sports Law
• Centre For Private International Law
• Centre For Environmental Law
• Centre For Banking Investment And Taxation
• Center For Public International Law
• Centre For Corporate And Competition Law
• Centre For Constitutional And Administrative Law
• Centre For Business and Public Policy
• Centre For Law and Economics (GNLU Law and Economics Committee (GLEC))
• Competitive Exam Guidance Committee

The research centers undertake projects which are funded by the Government of India, Government of Gujarat the United Nations Development Programme among others. The University also conducts several short and medium term orientation, training and refresher courses for NGOs, Government officials and public administrators, United Nations officials, armed forces, police, legal professionals including members of the bar and the bench, other administrative authorities and corporate officials. Faculty members at the Centre along with Student and Teaching Research Associates aid the State and Union Government in drafting legislation in various commercial and corporate matters. The Research Centres also offer research internships to students from National Law University as well as other law colleges. GNLU is also an academic partner to the institutions of governance, judiciary and the executive in providing training by experts from both India as well as abroad. In 2013, Training Programmes were held for the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Reserve Bank of India, IPS/IRS/IAS Officers, Judges and Advocates, Diplomats and Legal Advisers of different South East Asian countries on topics like Money Laundering, White Collar Crime, Economic Offences, Diplomacy, Maritime Security, Cyber and Internet Laws and creating interface between law and management.

Faculty

Since this is a National Law University, it attracts Judges of the Supreme Court as well as High Courts to take classes for the students.

Faculty in GNLU have attended Western universities like Cambridge University, Leiden University, University of New Hampshire School of Law, University of Sussex, Amsterdam University, University of Cologne, Dalhousie University National University of Singapore, University of Essex amongst others. Lecturers educated in India are alumni of institutions such as Delhi University, NLSIU, TISS, RMLNLU, HNLU, ILS Law College, Symbiosis Law School, Kerala University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and, in a recent trend from GNLU itself. Some of the faculties have also worked at different corporate houses and multinational companies before joining GNLU.

In addition to lectures by permanent faculty members, the university organizes lectures and interactive seminars attended by jurists, lawyers and academicians from India and abroad.

Professors from Gujarat's other institutions visit the campus and take classes. Professors from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, the PDPU, the IRMA, Nirma University of Science and Technology, and Maharaja Sayaji Rao University often visit GNLU.

Endowed research fellows

National Conference on Participatory Democracy, a Pre-Summit Event to the National Education Summit was hosted by the GNLU Centre for Constitutional and Administrative Law during January 2014. Senior Supreme Court Judges, bureaucrats and Academicians attended and endorsed the event.

Leading Corporates and PSU's along with the Government of India has instituted research chairs in fields of law:

• Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas & Co Chair on Ethics in Everyday Legal Profession
• Navinchandra Desai Law Foundation Chair to promote research and provide assistance to litigation-opting students
• Khaitan & Co. Fellowship in Mergers & Acquisitions
• Microsoft India PL Chair Professor in Intellectual Property Rights
• Gujarat Maritime Board Chair Assistant Professor in Maritime Laws
• Gujarat Council on Science and Technology Chair Professor in Intellectual Property Rights
• ONGC Fellow and Assistant Professor in International Contracts
• Gujarat Council on Science and Technology Fellow and Assistant Professor in Intellectual Property Rights
• SJVN Fellow in Hydro Power Developments and Energy Laws
• Gujarat Council on Science and Technology Fellow and Associate Professor in Intellectual Property Rights
• Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited(THDC) Fellow in Hydro Power Developments and Environmental Laws
• Gujarat Safai Kamdar Development Corporation Fellow in Manual Scavenging Law and Practice
• Ministry of Earth Sciences Fellow and Assistant Professor in International Law
• NTPC Fellow in Sustainable Development and Environmental Laws
• Microsoft India Fellow in Intellectual Property Rights
• Rural Electrification Corporation of India(REC)Fellow in Hydro Power Developments and Energy Laws
• National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Fellow in Hydro Power Developments and Environmental Laws
• Microsoft India Fellow and Assistant Professor in Intellectual Property Rights
• Gujarat Council on Science and Technology Fellow in Intellectual Property Rights
• GNLU Fellow in Maritime Law Policy & Practice and Law of the Sea
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited(BHEL) Fellow in Transfer of Technology Laws
• Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) Fellow and Teaching & Research Associate in Energy law Policy and Practice
• GNLU-CCEL Fellow in Real Estate Laws- Policy and Practice

Endowed research fellows undertake projects and high-level research on specialized topics on Legal Research. GNLU is consolidating its research eminence gradually with the assistance of national and international corporate houses, law firms, public sector undertakings, government departments. The fellowships create a unique Students Research Action Group in the different fields of law to provide research inputs in those fields. The Research Fellows who are academically well-qualified guide the student community to gain insights into these upcoming field and for shaping a better understanding in these fields. The research activities are complemented by periodical reports, pre-legislative research, commentaries, an annual bulletin on the issues of the specified field and extension activities such as conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions. This latest availability of funding and phenomenon of increasing academic partnership with the institutions of governance, judiciary, executive, economy and civil society enable GNLU to carry out applied legal and interdisciplinary research in various areas.

CLAT 2014

Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) has assumed the convener-ship of CLAT 2014 and held the first Core Committee Meeting of CLAT-2014 involving Vice Chancellors/Directors of 14 National Law Universities across India on 22 October 2013. GNLU has introduced centralized online counseling to help thousands of parents and students in securing admission to the premier law schools of India.

Publications

Retd. General VK Singh from the Union Ministry of External Affairs with the Vice Chancellor of the university.

Developing World Review on Trade and Competition

Participants for a moot court competition at GNLU

DWRTC is a biannual journal published by the GNLU in collaboration with the World Trade Organisation from 2011. Within a short time, it has got immense recognition from the legal academia all over the world. The journal deals with the burning issues regarding the legal implications on the trade and commercial conflicts in the international scenario.

Academic setup

Administrative Block at the University. It is one of a kind structure and is called "Attalika Avenue".

The curriculum of the law school is based on the Research Based Teaching University (RbTU) a unique teaching curriculum followed only by GNLU and follows a two-semester per year pattern. The curriculum is decided by the professor concerned itself and not by the board of studies, which gives the professor a lot of flexibility. The curriculum is set by international standards. The courses include project work, report writing, research, and analysis. Under the RbTU, each faculty of GNLU prepared the course outline, devised syllabus based on their first in-house research and consultation with subject experts across the country and the world. The teaching of each subject now includes leading judgments, legislations, and pending bills at national and state level in their syllabus for reference purposes The university gives a lot of importance to research based projects. Mooting is compulsory in the First Semester. All students taking admission in an undergraduate course will have to learn and clear first three levels of any one language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Swahili, and Sanskrit other than English) during the first three years.

Legal Incubation Centre

The law school has a specialized incubation center to mentor law graduates aiming to be legal entrepreneurs. In a bid to instill business skills to start a legal venture, the law school has set center on the lines on top B-schools. It is the first legal incubation center of its kind in India. It will give an opportunity to two GNLU graduates at a time to become initial incubates as it aims to create jobs, train entrepreneurs, have innovative start-ups, legal firms, and companies. The incubation center will be started with Rs 10 lakh to create physical infrastructure such as office space, provide seed funds apart from others to promote entrepreneurship in the knowledge-driven profession.

GNLU Public International Law and Maritime Academies

The Prime Minister of India addressing the faculty and students. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India has been very supportive of the university in both its academic as well as non-academic activities.

GNLU organizes a Public International Law Academy for diplomats, scholars, and teachers of the international law. In the 2014 edition, a total 18 Participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Lesotho, Pakistan, Trinidad & Tobago and India participated in the Academy. Radha Ivory, Lecturer, Brisbane, Australia; Professor Cheng Chia-Jui, Secretary-General of the Curatorium, Xiamen Academy of International Law, Xiamen, China; Professor Chris Maina Peter, Member, International Law Commission; K Parameswaran, Associate Professor of Law, GNLU; D B Shekatkar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM; Narinder Singh, Member, International Law Commission; MMag. Markus P. Beham, Department of European, International and Comparative Law, Vienna; Professor Bimal N. Patel, Professor of International Law and Director, Gujarat National Law University; Professor James Kraska, Professor of Oceans Law and Policy, Stockton Center for the Study of International Law, U.S. Naval War College, RI, USA. took lectures during the 2014 edition of the Academy. In 2014 edition it was organized in collaboration with the Swiss Foreign Affairs Ministry, 2015 with the National Maritime Foundation and 2016 edition with US Naval War College

Legal History Museum

The Indian Legal History Museum housed at GNLU is aiming to represent the development of civilization in India by exhibiting artifacts of legal heritage. It is the first legal history museum in India. The museum is divided into three floors basically One can understand here the history of 5000 years Civilized has given us a rich heritage of diversified religions, beliefs, languages, scripts, arts and cultures. Each change or diversion in history has been recorded in each category given above and ultimately resulted in growth judiciary and administration of Justice in this country. The Museum is divided into three floors. Each floor will be designed in chronological sequence to trace and learn the legal14th century CE. It will showcase the legal historical contents from Indus valley civilization to the Dynasties of Mauryan, Gupta, Shunga, Barhut, Khstrapa, Ganga, Vijaynagar, Palav, Chola, Pala and Sultanate era. The first floor will have exhibit covering the legal history of 14th-18th century CE. The exhibition will comply to showcase the later medieval period by depicting largely Mughal era, various company period and religious texts and Icons of Law and Justice. The second floor will exhibit the legal history contents from the 19th century CE to till date. The exhibits will the story of British period in India to the Independent India. On the third floor we will showcase a miniature form of the courtroom of Supreme Court of India, there will be a section of ‘Around the world’, depicting salient features of the legal system in different and noteworthy countries. The exhibition will also have a section of ‘Hall of fame’. The Museum will make sure of using all interactive devices to make visiting experience learning with entertainment. I. Each floor is designed in chronological sequence to trace and learn the legal heritage of India. The museum has a reception area with cloakroom and Museo-shop. It will also have its publications i.e. brochures, newsletter, Guidebook to the Museum etc. It will also have its conservation facility to conserve cultural heritage. The museum has the original certificate of Sardar Patel's admission to the bar at Lincoln's Inn.

Extracurricular activities

Moot Court

GNLU International Moot Court Competition (GIMC) is the Annual International Law Moot Court Competition held by the University

Moot courts and other legal events are held in the university, as a part of the curriculum as well as an extracurricular activity. The university has a Moot Court Committee for conducting moot court activities. Students participate in national and international moot court activities have won laurels to the university. GNLU won the India rounds of the prestigious Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 2016. In 2017 the university team won the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition.^[6]

Student Activities Committee

Bollywood Singer KK at the 2014 version of the Annual Fest of GNLU 'PENTAGRAM'

The Student Activities Committee, popularly known as SAC is an organization of students who work to promote extra-curricular activities in the University. The various student activities organized by the SAC offer students, the much needed ‘break’ from the busy, officious and monotonous schedule of Law School. The SAC caters to diverse student interests varying from cultural pursuits like Music and Dance to literary activities like Quizzing and Music. Specific student involvements in Films, Books, etc. are also nurtured by the SAC. SAC organizes Acoustic Night and Movie Night every month. The SAC consists of nine clubs which address the varied student interests. The SAC also organizes the annual five-day inter-university literary and cultural fest called Pentagram. The event is scheduled for March and is marked by different themes on the five days. Students challenge each other in a motley range of activities.

Legal Services Committee

The GNLU LSC is one of the most active and dynamic LSC's in the state of Gujarat and has successfully adopted four villages, providing free legal aid there

"Justice League" the annual sports fest of GNLU.

The Legal Aid Committee organizes legal knowledge camps and has conducted programs to increase legal awareness. It has set up a Free Legal Aid Clinic which is run by student members. The GNLU Legal Services Committee has been set up by way of Section 4(k)of the Legal Service Authorities Act, 1987, which reads as Develop, in consultation with the Bar Council of India, programmes for clinical legal education and promote guidance and supervise the establishment and working of legal services clinics in universities, law colleges and other institutions. The motto of the LSC stands as Assertion Awareness Action. LSCs endeavors and objectives are in consonance with its motto. The objectives of LSC are attained by making use of different platforms and utilizing various approaches and methods legal aid cells, skits, plays, workshops, surveys, research on contemporary issues and policy making. The Legal Aid Cell, established under statutory law provides assistance through a variety of methods, including traditional casework, summary advice, self-help, community legal education, community development and policy reform initiatives. The LSC has adopted four villages of Gandhinagar District, viz. Raysan, Kudasan, Koba and Shahpur. Free Legal Aid Clinics run by four teams on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Apart from these, Legal Literacy, Educational Activities, and Awareness Programmes are undertaken in Villages.

Sports Committee

The GNLU girls' basketball team

GNLU has a sports committee in place to conduct sports like cricket, table tennis, football, basketball, lawn tennis, badminton and volleyball and an additional task to manage the gym of GNLU.

Infrastructure

Residence halls

Boys' Hall of Residence

GNLU, as a fully residential university, provides separate hostels for girls and boys. Students are allotted double-sharing rooms. The hostels have a common room for TV and other creative activities. It has a night mess, an indoor badminton court and TT tables inside the hostel premises. There is also a provision store to meet the daily requirements of the students. A beauty parlor for women and a hair salon are also established in the hostel premises. Guest houses are provided for visiting faculty and students.

Library

The Administrative Block of GNLU houses the Law Library.

The GNLU library supports the teaching, learning and research needs of scholars, students, and faculty of the university.

It occupies the largest wing in administrative building and is spread over four floors with seating arrangement for 400 readers at once. It is fully air conditioned to create the ambiance conducive to productive reading and research.

It has a collection of more than 35,000 volumes of books, law reports and has a subscription of more than 150 journals, newspapers, reference books, and e-books. It contains books relating to subjects in law as well as non-law subjects like Management, Sociology, Science and Technology, History, Economics, Political Science, International Relations and English Literature. The entire library building is covered by multiple wireless networks. Library functions and services are fully automated with state-of-the-art LMS software and latest RFID/EM technology. Library catalog is a gateway to the holdings of the library, which is accessible to the students via the intranet and Internet. The library provides current awareness (CAS), Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), literature search and bibliography compilation services to the users. The GNLU Library is one of the only law universities that provides access to the digital library of the Peace Palace Library (the Hague, the Netherlands), having the largest collection of legal literature in the world.

Sports facilities

The multipurpose oval ground

Basketball court

GNLU has an oval-shaped grass ground to play football and rugby. In addition to that, GNLU has provided

• Well-furnished basketball courts (02)
• Tennis courts (clay and cemented)
• Cricket ground
• Independent football court
• Badminton court
• Cemented cricket pitch for practice
• Volleyball and throw ball court
• Gymnasium

A swimming pool and a billiards room are also planned.

Global seminars and conferences

Every year, the university organizes international and national seminars and conferences in different areas of law. Noted dignitaries have delivered guest lectures at the university including four Chief Justice of India and 31 Judges of the Supreme Court of India. Eminent jurists and administrators of India and abroad, Judges and lawyers of the Supreme Court and High Court of Gujarat. It has a visiting Professor and Ambassador Lecture Series program in place to facilitate learning from international level professors. Each GNLU center conducts its own International and National conference and seminars annually.

Bauribandhu Mohapatra & Gujarat National Law University Award for Community Service

The Bauribandhu Mohapatra & Gujarat National Law University Award for Community Service (BMGCS) is an annual award for community service given to undergraduate or graduate students in India.^[7]

Rankings

The Gujarat National Law University was ranked tenth by India Today's "India's Best Colleges 2017: Law",^[8] third in India by Outlook India's "Top 25 Law Colleges In 2017"^[9] and eighth in India by The Week's "Top Law Colleges 2017".^[10]

Criticism

Alumni

Many graduates of GNLU have been recruited by premier law firms of India and abroad. Students have joined magic circle law firms like Linklaters and Herbert Smith, LLP and foreign IPR firms like Debevoise & Plimpton and Satyapon and Partners among others. The recruitment process starts from the end of the 3rd year. The domestic law firms which have recruited students from GNLU to include Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, Khaitan & Co, Amarchand Mangaldas, Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan, Trilegal, and many others. Among companies, ICICI Bank, Union Bank, Reliance, Adani Group Tata Sons, Infosys and many more have recruited from campus. Regulators and Government Departments like the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Competition Commission of India, Forward Markets Commission, SEBI, Enforcement Directorate also recruit students from GNLU. Many public sector units of Gujarat as well as other states also regularly recruit a large number of graduates from GNLU. Some graduates, albeit a minuscule number, pursue careers in litigation by joining the chambers of Senior Advocates in the Supreme Court of India or High Courts and trial courts. Some graduates have also embarked on careers in law teaching. Many students have interned at the United Nations and also have been placed at various United Nations organizations.

Some of them do not enlist themselves for recruitment. Instead some of them have taken higher studies in universities like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard Law School, University of Chicago Law School, New York University School of Law, Cornell Law School, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy among others or they opt to take up Judicial Clerkship with judges of the Supreme Court of India. Some of the students have also joined as Faculty and Research Associates at Universities as well as Global Research Centres. A very small percentage appears for the Civil Service Examination and the Judicial Examinations as well as the Armed Forces Examinations. Many alumni are now serving as Civil Judges, IAS, IRS, Naval and Army officers.

See also

• List of universities in India
• Universities and colleges in India
• Education in India
• Distance Education Council
• University Grants Commission (India)

References

Sources

• http://www.gnlu.ac.in/aboutus.htm
• http://www.gnlu.ac.in/directorViceChancellor.htm
• http://www.gnlu.ac.in/eventcalendar.htm

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gujarat National Law University.

• Official website