NPYF flags absence of govt law college in Nagaland

The National People’s Youth Front (NPYF), Dimapur district, has expressed concern over the continued absence of a fully functional, adequately funded, standalone Government Law College in Nagaland, terming it a result of sustained political neglect across successive governments.
In a press release, NPYF Dimapur district president Zato Sumi said that more than six decades after statehood in 1963, Nagaland still does not have a government-run law college with sufficient capacity and infrastructure. It stated that the responsibility for the gap was cumulative, pointing to periods of governance under different regimes, including the Naga People’s Front and the present coalition involving the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The youth body said that despite annual budgets running into thousands of crores being passed by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, there had been no transparent, time-bound policy commitment, institutional framework or capital investment plan for establishing a Government Law College. It termed this a reflection of misplaced priorities rather than financial incapacity.
NPYF alleged that while other sectors have expanded, including administrative structures and appointments, legal education has remained neglected.
It stated that the existing system under Nagaland University and affiliated institutions was limited and fragmented, lacking the scale, funding and autonomy required to meet the needs of the State.
It said the absence of a Government Law College had led to structural inequality, forcing students, particularly from economically weaker sections, to pursue legal education outside the State, resulting in financial and social burdens.
Citing Supreme Court judgments such as Mohini Jain vs State of Karnataka and Unni Krishnan vs State of Andhra Pradesh, NPYF said the State had a constitutional obligation to progressively expand access to education under Article 21.
It added that in Nagaland’s context, protections under Article 371A required a strong base of locally trained legal professionals.
National People’s Youth Front Dimapur said that recurring justifications of fiscal constraints were untenable, asserting that allocation of resources to administrative expansion undermined such claims. It called for establishment of a Government Law College within a defined and time-bound framework.
The youth body asserted that the youth of Nagaland would no longer accept continued neglect and empty assurances on the issue.