Law University Dilemma

Seven years after the Jammu and Kashmir National Law University Act, 2018, received the Governor's assent in 2019, the University remains a promise on paper. The Chief Minister's reply in the Legislative Assembly confirms that even its headquarters has not been notified. No timeline has been offered, and the questions on land, funds and location were sidestepped. For an institution created by a dedicated statute, this is a striking gap between legislation and execution. The Act is not the obstacle. Section 3 empowers the Government to establish one or more universities by gazette notification, specifying the place and date. The Assembly's resolution of October 29, 2025, urged that the process begin without further delay, noting that funds for the first phase had already been provided. The Departments of Law and Higher Education have reportedly submitted a detailed blueprint covering infrastructure, manpower, campus area, courses and student intake. What is missing is a decision.

Past such decisions had repeatedly become a flashpoint of regional aspiration. The establishment of engineering colleges, agricultural universities and, more recently, AIIMS has each provoked competing claims and, at times, prolonged agitation. Srinagar got the REC, now NIT, decades ago, while Jammu got IIT only in recent years. SKUAST-Jammu came into being after turmoil, and SKIMS in Kashmir long predates the demand for two AIIMS, one in each region. Even the two Central Universities remind us how sensitive the question of parity remains. The Chief Minister's dilemma is therefore real. His party's base lies in Kashmir, the BJP's in Jammu, and locating a single university in either region will invite protest from the other. Finance narrows the choices further. The Act permits multiple universities, but resources are limited. Yet indecision is the costliest option. Silence does not dissolve regional grievances; it lets them harden while the students who need a credible legal education in the Union Territory wait. A National Law University takes time to build, from land acquisition to faculty recruitment to admissions. Every additional year of delay pushes back the day it opens its doors.

The first step is to notify the headquarters and the establishment date without further delay. Government must take stakeholders on board in both regions, explaining the reasoning behind its choice. Difficult decisions rarely become easier with time. Having legislated, funded the first phase and heard the Assembly's appeal, the Government must now show the will to declare.