Hidayatullah National Law University

Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) is a state public university located in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, India. It is one of the National Law Universities (NLUs) established in India to impart specialised legal education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The university is named after Mohammad Hidayatullah, the 11th Chief Justice of India, who also served as the country's Vice President.

Key facts

Background

HNLU was established by the Government of Chhattisgarh through a state legislative enactment, following the model of autonomous National Law Universities pioneered by the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Like other NLUs, it functions as a residential university dedicated to the study of law, jurisprudence, and allied disciplines, and admits students through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), the centralised entrance examination for NLUs across India.

The university is situated in Naya Raipur (also referred to as Atal Nagar), the planned capital city developed adjacent to Raipur. The campus houses academic blocks, a law library, hostels, and faculty residences within an integrated residential setup.

Academics

The flagship programme at HNLU is the five-year integrated B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) degree at the undergraduate level. The university also offers postgraduate programmes leading to the LL.M. degree, along with doctoral research programmes (Ph.D.) in law. The curriculum combines core subjects of Indian law with electives covering areas such as constitutional law, corporate and commercial law, criminal law, international law, and human rights.

HNLU follows the Chancellor–Vice-Chancellor structure common to NLUs, with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Chhattisgarh traditionally associated with the office of Chancellor or Visitor in the institutional framework of the university.

Significance

As one of the autonomous National Law Universities in India, HNLU contributes to the broader project of producing law graduates trained for litigation, corporate practice, judicial services, academia, and policy work. It is among the institutions that have helped expand specialised legal education beyond the metropolitan centres into central India, and is the principal residential law university serving the state of Chhattisgarh.

Related topics

• National Law Universities in India
• Common Law Admission Test
• Mohammad Hidayatullah
• Raipur
• Naya Raipur
• Bar Council of India
• Legal education in India

References

• Wikidata entity: Q12060028