The permanent campus of NLU Meghalaya and the State Judicial Academy will come up at Mawkhanu, as the state expands its higher education and judicial infrastructure.

The Meghalaya government has reduced the estimated cost of the permanent campus of National Law University (NLU), Meghalaya, from Rs 550 crore to Rs 240–260 crore, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Tuesday.

Sangma and Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere jointly laid the foundation stones for the NLU and the Meghalaya State Judicial Academy at Mawkhanu, Mawpdang, in New Shillong Township.

Speaking at the ceremony at the State Convention Centre, Sangma said the project had undergone several rounds of discussions and cost revisions. However, he stressed that financial concerns should not indefinitely delay investments crucial to the state’s future.

“What has to be done must be done,” the Chief Minister said, emphasising the need to balance financial prudence with long-term investment in education and institutional infrastructure.

Sangma said the two institutions were part of the government’s broader effort to strengthen higher education, expand opportunities for young people and restore Shillong’s position as an education hub. He added that the number of colleges, universities and higher and technical education institutions in Meghalaya had grown from around 71–75 in 2018 to nearly 110.

He also credited former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Sanjiv Banerjee for helping sustain momentum behind the NLU project.

Chief Justice Dere said the permanent campuses would serve a purpose beyond providing physical infrastructure. She highlighted their role in shaping the state’s legal and constitutional culture, particularly by harmonising Meghalaya’s customary traditions with the constitutional values of India.

Emphasising ethical legal practice, she urged future lawyers to uphold integrity, compassion and courage. She also stressed the profession’s responsibility to protect rights, challenge injustice and ensure access to justice for vulnerable and marginalised communities.

NLU Meghalaya was established under state legislation in 2022 and inaugurated at its temporary campus at Mayurbhanj Complex, Nongthymmai, Shillong, on July 8, 2023. The Meghalaya State Judicial Academy, established in May 2016, has also been operating from temporary premises at Bivar Road.

The foundation-laying ceremony marks a step towards providing both institutions with permanent facilities to support legal education and judicial training in the state.