Jyoti Bhakare appointed Vice-Chancellor of Maharashtra National Law University Nagpur

The Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur has appointed Professor (Dr) Jyoti Bhakare as its new Vice-Chancellor (VC) for a five-year term. The appointment was made by MNLU Nagpur Chancellor and Supreme Court Justice Atul S Chandurkar.

The Chancellor’s notification was published by MNLU Nagpur Registrar Deepak L Bhagwat on September 18, 2026. Jyoti Bhakare will take over the VC position of the university from Professor (Dr) Vijender Kumar, who was also the founding Vice-Chancellor of MNLU Nagpur.

Once Kumar’s tenure was over, Professor (Dr) VP Tiwari started serving as the acting Vice-Chancellor. Finally, the appointment of Bhakare has given MNLU a new Vice-Chancellor instead of an interim one.

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Jyoti Bhakare’s academic experience

Bhakare is currently serving as the Senior Professor of Law at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). She has also been serving as Director of the university’s Law School since January 2022. After Bhakare joined the SPPU law faculty in 2009, she has held several educational and administrative responsibilities.

Prior to this, Jyoti Bhakare was working as the SPPU’s Officiating Registrar from August 2024 to January 2026. Before that, she was the head of the university’s Department of Law from 2019 to 2023.

Even before joining SPPU, Bhakare has had manyleadership positions at various law colleges in Pune. She served as Officiating Principal of DES Law College from 2004 to 2009 and Modern Law College from 2003 to 2004.

Bhakare has experience in teaching, institutional administration and leadership in legal education. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Master of Laws (LLM) from Shivaji University, Kolhapur.