ANU gives in to alumni pressure, to relaunch law degree after 2 decades

Amaravati: Almost two decades after stopping the course, Acharya Nagarjuna University has decided to relaunch degree in law. Several eminent legal luminaries including former chief justice of India, NV Ramana, are alumni of ANU. Interestingly, the university decided to start admissions into law stream after former justice of supreme court, Abdul Nazeer, became chancellor of the university as governor of the state. Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) stopped admissions into law degree about 20 years ago citing shortage of faculty and poor response from students. Since then, students’ bodies have been demanding the university authorities to reopen the stream saying it is a privilege to get graduated from the university college. The chorus for relaunching of law degree picked up momentum when justice NV Ramana assumed charge as chief justice of India two years ago. The former law students of ANU started petitioning various authorities including Raj Bhavan and state council for higher education seeking their intervention. With the authorities not yielding to pressure, the former law students formed an alumni association comprising Narra Srinivas, Chandu Srinivas and Dr Gochipata Srinivasa Rao and intensified the stir. They also prevailed upon then CJI NV Ramana to make a visit to the ANU before his retirement. ANU conferred honorary doctorate on Justice NV Ramana during the convocation held in August last. Under pressure from alumni association, university academic senate decided to relaunch the law stream from 2023-24 academic year. The university will offer five-year law degree in BA, LLB and BBA, LLB combination. “It is a result of our long battle. We thank the university authorities for restarting the course,” said alumni association vice-president Chandu Srinivas.