Prof Faizan Mustafa Advocates for Unrestricted Free Speech in Law Schools
Prof Faizan Mustafa, the Vice-Chancellor of Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), emphasized the importance of unrestricted free speech in law schools as a foundation for training students in the art of argument. Speaking at a webinar hosted by The Hindu titled ‘Freedom of Speech in Law Schools,’ Prof Mustafa asserted that law students, who are future defenders of individual liberties, must be nurtured in an environment that supports free expression.
Prof Mustafa pointed out that law schools typically offer greater freedom of expression compared to traditional universities. He stated, “I am absolutely clear that since law students are going to defend liberties of others, they are to be trained in this art of making an argument and you cannot train them in the art of argument by curbing their freedom of speech in terms of speaking, in terms of making cartoons, or in terms of every other expression.”
Response to NALSAR Convocation Controversy
During the webinar, Prof Mustafa also addressed a question regarding the recent controversy surrounding the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law’s convocation and the objection to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant as the chief guest. Although he refrained from commenting directly on the institution he once led, Prof Mustafa shared that he typically responds promptly to student concerns, harkening back to his days as a student at Aligarh Muslim University where open discourse was encouraged without fear of disciplinary action.
He noted, “I don’t recall any action being taken or any restrictions being put on the exercise of free speech.” He added that during his tenure at NALSAR, he championed a “liberty model of administration,” emphasizing that a university’s purpose in knowledge creation cannot thrive in a controlled environment.
The Need for Open Discourse and Institutional Reform
Prof Mustafa further elaborated on the necessity of questioning existing knowledge to foster academic excellence and improve global university rankings. “If we really want to improve the ranking of our universities, global rankings, then we have to give that freedom to the faculty to do research in the areas they want to do research, to write whatever they want to write, to speak whatever they want to speak and to allow students to question everything,” he asserted.
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Recalling an incident during his time at NALSAR, he spoke about a student-led debate on establishing a pub on campus for safer drinking options. Despite opposition from some faculty members, Prof Mustafa allowed the debate, which he attended with students, ultimately leaving the decision to a student vote, which resulted in the proposal’s rejection.
Prof Mustafa criticized the current university governance model in India, describing it as overly centralized around Vice-Chancellors. “As far as my personal ideology as VC is concerned, as someone who is today the senior-most VC of the public universities in India, having been there and survived for 16 long years, I can say that the whole model of university governance in India is wrong. The universities are VC-centric…he is the one who calls shots. So, in my opinion, this governance model itself is wrong,” he concluded.
