Nagpur: Owning more than 233 acres of land across the city, the Nagpur University (NU) is currently embroiled in 24 legal disputes related to its properties, according to documents placed before the Senate during its meeting held recently.The information was presented by the university’s general administration and engineering departments as part of a status report on NU’s immovable properties. The report, prepared based on records maintained by the estate office, shows that the university’s land holdings are scattered across multiple campuses and standalone properties in the city.As per the report, the largest chunk of 169.91 acres is at the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Educational Campus, which houses the university’s main administrative offices in the Jamnalal Bajaj administrative building, several postgraduate departments, research centres, incubation facilities, the guest house, and the vice-chancellor’s residence.Other major properties include the Rao Bahadur D Laxminarayan Campus spread over 33.49 acres, where the physical education department, university playgrounds, hostels, and the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar School of Law are located.The university also has land at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Administrative Campus (4.1 acres) opposite Maharajbagh, Main Library Campus (3.6 acres) at Ramdaspeth, and the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Campus (3.9 acres), which houses the girls’ hostel and Gandhi Bhavan. The Anwa Vihar and Dr Niyogi Bungalow Campus covers about 7 acres and hosts the academic staff college and research facilities.In addition, the university owns smaller properties such as the Janakibai Thakur Bungalow, Dr Kamalabai Korke Bungalow, property at Kanhan, and land at Dighori Law College Campus.However, a significant portion of the university’s properties are tied up in litigation. According to the legal status report submitted to the Senate, 24 cases related to university properties are pending in different courts, including the small causes court, civil courts, and district courts in Nagpur.These include disputes involving tenancy rights, encroachments, property possession, and ownership claims. These cases are at various stages such as hearing, evidence, argument, reply/say, and awaiting notice or summons, with hearings scheduled through early 2026.One of the major disputes involves land at Kanhan, where the Beharilal Khandelwal Trust filed a civil suit against the university over a school operating on the property.Another long-running issue concerns the Janakibai Thakur bungalow in Dhantoli, which was donated to the university in 1944. The property is still occupied by tenants who lived there since the donor’s lifetime, and the university initiated legal proceedings to regain possession.Similarly, the Kamalabai Korke bungalow in Dharampeth was leased to the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation for use as a Nagpur camp office and residence from April 2025 to April 2028. However, legal action is underway to evict long-standing tenants from the property.Officials said the university’s legal cell is pursuing the cases to reclaim possession of properties and resolve disputes, while efforts are also underway to compile updated records of all land holdings.
