Prof. Dr. Richa Ranjan is the principal of the Swami Devi Dyal Group of Professional Institutions. An esteemed law professional, she holds multiple degrees including B.A.LL.B, LL.M, PhD, a diploma in labour laws, and a Human rights Certificate Course in Medical Negligence & Laws. Dr Ranjan has over 29 years years of experience in the legal field and has won numerous awards during this time. Notably, she has won the International Padma Award, the Womenia Award by the NA Cultural Society, the 51 Influential Women Haryana Award by Saarv Jaagruk Sangthan, and the Best Educationist Award by Women Power Society.

Dr. Ranjan has organized many international and national conferences, webinars, legal aid camps, and moot courts. She supervises the research work of Ph.D. and LLM students and has published numerous papers in reputable journals.

Swami Devi Dyal Group of Professional Institutions

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

It was my passion to guide and shape the direction of an educational institution. My main purpose is to enhance the quality of education and promote innovation in my field. Adopting new teaching methodologies and new collaborations are efforts to make our college the best institute, which is highly motivating for me.

I strongly believe that perseverance and grit are the keys to success. Having traveled a long distance of 29 years in the legal fraternity, we have toiled hard, and SDDLC has emerged as a top-tier education centre with various laurels to acclaim.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing higher education today, and how do you think your institution is addressing those challenges?

Our mission is to provide world-class professional grooming to our students and provide them with different scopes in the legal profession. The biggest challenge is the mushrooming of new law colleges. It is difficult to stand apart from the competition while still providing quality education, and infrastructure and maintaining high placement records. Additionally, with so many students graduating every year, it is important to equip our students to stand apart from the competition.

What do you think sets your institution apart from other colleges and universities and how do you communicate that unique value proportion to students and other stakeholders?

Swami Devi Dyal Law College has highly qualified, experienced, and vibrant teaching faculty members. They provide an excellent blend of rigour and relevance in their teaching. What sets us apart from other institutions is that in the last 16 years, our students have been able to touch the lives of a wide cross-section of society by participating in outbreak programs: like providing legal aid to the community, schools and colleges. Students get more confident and improve their advocacy skills.

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What are your primary responsibilities as Dean/ Assistant Dean and how do you balance them with other aspects of your job?

My primary responsibility as the dean is to balance, academics and extracurricular activities. Both are essential for students, as one helps build knowledge and the other soft skills. All the activities we do during the academic year are related to law, and students are able to learn about the interplay of laws in society. I also occasionally organize international conferences, workshops, and conferences to this end. 

How do you approach decision-making in your role and how do you balance the needs of different stakeholders when making difficult decisions?

For decision-making, you need a big heart. Extreme patience and a strong personality that is not easily dented are also important for effective decision-making. We fulfill every query and solve all problems for our stakeholders. We take the time and make efforts to be available for everyone and take each stakeholder's feedback into account for crucial decisions. Proper balance is maintained by taking decisions that benefit everyone.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

I would like to say to aspiring students that “the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” To be successful in life, students must understand that the future is not a gift but a goal to be achieved. If you work hard, study, and practice your advocacy skills today, it will serve you well in the future.

Can you describe any specific measures or programs that your institution has implemented to address the rising mental health issues and stress among students in India?

Due to the rising mental health issues, the law department formed a dedicated committee. If the matters are regarding studies, then extra classes are provided, and if the issues are regarding students’ mental health, we provide proper counselling from experts. To date, many cases have been solved, and meditation programs have been organized to help our students improve their mental health.

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What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in higher education administration and how do you see the field evolving in the years to come?

Our institution has attracted students from across India and neighbouring countries to study here because the laws of commonwealth nations share many things in common. In the near future, we are thinking of expanding our horizons by adding a master’s in law degree to our curriculum. It will be a feather added to the cap, as in this way we can open more possibilities for higher studies. Being the only law college in Panchkula, we are trying to connect with more law firms to provide better internship and placement opportunities to our students.

What new initiatives and collaborations has the University established with Industry Leaders to promote industry-specific courses?

We have set up multiple legal aid camps for the less privileged groups for free legal assistance for their problems. In the future, we are planning to extend our efforts to sign more MOUs with colleges, universities, and NGOs to provide help to the community and to give the best education to our students. We are also organizing more internship programmes with law firms and courts.