From Principal Office to Courtroom: Power struggle at J.B. Law College amid alleged conspiracy over governance

The corridors of J.B. Law College, one of Guwahati’s premier institutions for legal education and also infamous for its history of rampant corruption, have once again found themselves mired in political turmoil, power struggles, legality, and governance.

At the centre of this unfolding crisis is Nabanita Medhi, the former Principal-in-Charge, who has taken the battle to the Gauhati Civil Court seeking justice against what she terms a “conspiracy” and her “unlawful” removal from office.

Medhi, who was appointed on November 4, 2024, after the removal of former Principal Dr. Malabika Talukdar, insists that her elevation was based on seniority and duly ratified by the Governing Body (GB), the college’s prime authority for appointments and management.

She filed a petition at the Gauhati Civil Court on August 15, 2025, questioning the abrupt dissolution of the Governing Body on July 30, 2025. It is noteworthy that only the members nominated by Gauhati University had their tenure expire, while the members nominated by the Society (the parent body of J.B. Law College) still had an extended tenure until March 3, 2026. However, the GB as a whole was dissolved on July 30, despite being a continuous body.

Medhi claims that the actions of the J.B. Law College Society and a few teachers are not only unconstitutional but also deliberately aimed at destabilizing the institution’s administrative backbone.

On August 4, 2025, Gauhati University’s (GU) Executive Council nominated four new Governing Body members and directed Medhi to convene a Governing Body meeting while informing the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE). Medhi, however, claimed that this directive as “confusing and unlawful,” citing a 2020 Gauhati Civil Court ruling that reaffirmed J.B. Law College’s status as a privately managed institution, beyond GU or the state government’s administrative control.

The J.B. Law College Society countered that immediate reconstitution was necessary since teachers’ salaries for the month had not been released. Subsequently, the Society began receiving letters from the Teachers’ Association demanding immediate payment.

Matters escalated on August 11, when the GU Registrar, Utpal Sharma, directed Medhi to convene a meeting including the newly nominated members from GU's Executive Council. Sharma explained that the meeting was cancelled because Medhi failed to include the newly nominated members. Medhi countered that since the tenure of GU-nominated members extended until March 2026, she had pending formalities that would have been resolved in the meeting. The Registrar conceded that this was her only “fallout” but maintained that releasing her from her post was not justified over such a minor issue.

On the same day, August 11, Medhi accused Society executive member Rabindra Saikia of instigating teachers and sparking chaos on campus, leading her to lodge an FIR. Saikia, however, stated that as a Society member, he had merely been asked by the Secretary to be present during the submission of a memorandum transferring authority from Medhi to Jakey Khan. He claimed he had no idea why an FIR was lodged against him, as he had not engaged in any unlawful activity.

On August 13, the situation worsened when Society Secretary Krishna Sarma accused Medhi of withholding salaries, while Medhi blamed Sarma for refusing to co-sign the bills. Sarma said she had approached Medhi several times to sign and release the salaries, but Medhi had allegedly refused. The following day, the Society announced Medhi’s “release” and appointed Jakey Khan as the new Principal-in-Charge. Khan, along with other staff members, allegedly locked the Principal’s office, barring Medhi from entry, as they suspected her of removing important documents.

"As the post of the President of the GB was vacant then, so, I decided to pay the salary of the employees by giving an undertaking to the Bank as the administrative head of the institution till the new President of the GB is elected on 12/08/2025.  I told this to Mrs Krishna Sarma as she was the co- signatory of the cheques of the College. But she informed me that she would have take the permission of the other members of the Society. So, she called a meeting of the Society on 13/08/2025 in which meeting resolutions were taken to release me from the post of the Principal and to appoint Mr. Jakey Khan in my place", said Nabanita Medhi. 

The Registrar condemned this action, saying that if there were such suspicions, the Society should have approached the court rather than disrespectfully locking her office. Similarly, members of the outgoing Governing Body condemned the move, calling it ill-intentioned and motivated by ulterior motives. They argued that the formation of a new Governing Body requires at least a week and recommendations from outgoing members. Instead, they were hastily removed without notice, and no recommendations were sought. The Registrar also clarified that he had no knowledge of the hasty release of outgoing members and that GU had not pressured the college to form a new GB but only nominated new members after constant insistence from the college authorities.

The matter is currently being heard at the Gauhati Civil Court, and further updates will follow as the proceedings continue.