7 yrs after enactment of Act, J&K National Law University headquarters still unnotified

CM evades direct reply on Jammu varsity, gives no timeline

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Sept 28: Even a key administrative step towards establishing the Jammu and Kashmir National Law University remains undone with the Government yet to formally notify its headquarters seven years after the law received the Governor's assent.

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The prolonged inaction assumes greater significance as the Legislative Assembly has already called for setting up the university without further delay, while the Government's own reply confirms that the headquarters/place of the university has still not been notified.

The position has emerged from a reply furnished by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who is also Minister Incharge Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, to a question raised by the BJP MLA Sunil Sharma in the Legislative Assembly today.

When asked whether Government has notified headquarters/location in respect of the establishment of the National Law University, the Law Minister said, "the Jammu and Kashmir National Law University Act, 2018 was passed by the Legislative Assembly of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir and received the assent of the Governor on September 28, 2019".

"Under Section 3 of the Act, the Government can establish one or more universities under the legislation by notification in the Official Gazette, specifying the place and the date from which the university is to be established. The Act further provides for the headquarters of the university to be at such place as may be specified by the Government through notification", the Minister further said.

The Minister categorically stated: "The Government is yet to notify the headquarters/place of the proposed National Law University. However, it is relevant to mention that the J&K Legislative Assembly in its sitting held on October 29, 2025 adopted the resolution impressing upon the Government to initiate the process of establishing the Jammu and Kashmir National Law University at Srinagar without any further delay as the funds earmarked for the first phase have already been provided".

The Government's response to the other aspects of the question is also significant. The MLA had specifically sought to know whether the Government intended to establish the headquarters of the National Law University at Jammu, the steps being taken to identify or earmark suitable land and the quantum of funds sanctioned or released for the purpose.

However, the Law Minister evaded a direct reply. The reply also doesn't disclose any specific timeline for issuing the notification. Thus, response leaves the status of implementation unclear. Legislation has been enacted, the statutory mechanism for notifying the university and its headquarters is already available, the Assembly has subsequently made a unanimous appeal for expediting the establishment process, and the Government says funds for the first phase have already been provided yet the headquarters itself remains officially unnotified.

The prolonged delay has raised questions over what has prevented the Government from taking one of the basic steps required to give institutional shape to the university-deciding and formally notifying its headquarters.

For an institution conceived through a dedicated law, the continued absence of a notified headquarters after almost seven years represents a glaring disconnect between legislation and execution. The Government may have the statutory power to establish the university, but the latest official response provides no indication that the foundational administrative decision has actually been completed.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Higher Education Department have already submitted a detailed blueprint to the Government after examining the models of National Law Universities functioning in different States of the country.

The proposal also projected the minimum infrastructure and manpower requirements for the institution. Further, the minimum area required for establishment of the permanent campus of the National Law University, courses to be started at the initial stage and intake capacity of students were also specified in the proposal.