A protest by law students seeking promotion of all students to the next semester went out of control on January 5 with ink being thrown at the Vice Chancellor of Karnataka State Law University (KSLU). Following the incident in the university campus in Hubballi, three students were taken into custody by the police.
The protest by the students, particularly those of even semester, has been under way for close to a month. On January 5, a protest march and dharna were planned to intensify the agitation.
Vice Chancellor Prof. P. Ishwara Bhat was leaving the site of the protest when students started raising slogans seeking his resignation. While the police were escorting Prof. Bhat to his office, one of the protestors threw ink at the vice chancellor, which also fell on police personnel. Immediately, police took three students into custody for questioning.
The protesting students are seeking promotion to the next semester on the basis of a High Court order issued in December 2021, which was in favour of promoting 3-year LLB students.
KSLU went ahead with examinations for 5-year LLB students. This triggered the protest.
The students are demanding that KSLU withdraw its appeal against the High Court order and also promote the even-semester students of both 3-year and 5-year LLB courses.
Students organisations NSUI, ABVP and others have extended support to the agitation, and the issue was also raised during the winter session at Belagavi.
Two orders have been passed recently by the Dharwad bench and principal bench of the High Court of Karnataka, with the one ordering promotion of 3-year LLB students to the next semester and the other dismissing the petition of the 5-year LLB students.
