Mumbai: Two months after appointment, GLC still awaits principal

The Government Law College is to get a full-time principal after a decade of ad-hoc appointments, but there has been a delay in taking charge

It has been over two months since the order of appointment for a new full-time principal for the Government Law College (GLC) was out, but no one has taken charge yet. The iconic GLC will get a full-time principal after almost a decade of ad-hoc appointments. But the delay in taking charge has caused talk and speculation among students and faculty members, especially as the academic year has begun.

Dr Asmita Vaidya, the principal of the NBT Law College in Nashik, has been appointed full-time principal for the GLC. The order of appointment was declared on June 26. But Joint Director, Higher Education Rohidas Kale was given additional charge of GLC from August 1 after Suvarna Keole, a district judge who was appointed in-charge principal was transferred.

Why the delay?

The GLC was founded in 1855 and is the oldest law college in Asia with notable alumni that include Dr B R Ambedkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, L K Advani, Pratibha Patil, Nani Palkhiwala, Soli Sorabjee and others. But unfortunately, the reputed institute at Churchgate has not had a full-time principal for the past decade. "Parimala Rao was the last permanent principal who retired in 2009. Then we have had judges on deputation serving as principals but no full-time principal. This leads to major issues in administrative and policy-related works. In the absence of a full-time principal, several tasks remain pending, allowing very small room for the college to grow as an academic institution. All these years, the college was functioning with ad-hoc appointments which did not really help in effectively running it," said a source from the college. A staff member said, "It is really shocking to see how no one has taken charge for over a month without any clear explanation on the delay. Nobody from the college has been given any information on the status even as we keep waiting for a principal."

'I will take charge'

Dr Vaidya refused to give any reason for the delay and said, "I will soon take charge at GLC." Secretary for Higher and Technical Education Department of Maharashtra Government, Saurabh Vijay, was unavailable for comment.

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