In a strongly worded assertion the 2026 graduating batch of NLSIU Bangalore together with over 120 alumni have condemned Bar Council of India’s (BCI) now withdrawn motion in opposition to outgoing batch of students of NALSAR, Hyderabad and have demanded an “unconditional apology” from BCI to NALSAR’s pupil and school group.
128 NLSIU alumni, 165 College students of the graduating class of 2026 and 409 present college students from numerous programmes together with the BALLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM, and MPP programs have signed the Assertion.
The letter by the graduating college students of NLSIU has additionally demanded the reconsideration of CJI Surya Kant because the Chief Visitor at NALSAR’s convocation whereas concurrently registering their ‘disapproval’ of the CJI gracing NLSIU’s personal upcoming convocation, together with the attendance of BCI Chairman and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra.
Final week, there were reports {that a} part of outgoing college students had opposed inviting the CJI for the convocation over his feedback on the Delhi pupil protests.
The NLSIU college students and alumuni of their assertion have:
- Demanded an unconditional apology from the BCI to the coed and school group at NALSAR for trying to infringe their basic proper to free speech and expression
- Name upon BCI to elucidate protocol for using its official letterhead by the Chairperson
- Expressed robust disapproval of BCI Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra attending the convocation of NLSIU with out taking full accountability for his conduct
- Expressed solidarity with NALSAR’s request to rethink the selection of the Chief Justice of India as Chief Visitor for his or her Convocation, and comparable disapproval of the CJI attending NLSIU’s convocation for a similar causes.
The assertion, launched on Independence Day, comes days after the BCI issued and subsequently withdrew letters dated August 13, 2026, that directed State Bar Councils to not enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduating batch as advocates.
The letter additionally calls the BCI’s now-withdrawn directive as ‘unconstitutional’, together with demanding rationalization on Chairman’s unilateral use of official letterhead.
Whereas the BCI has since closed all proceedings in opposition to NALSAR, the NLSIU college students asserted that “the truth that such unconstitutional and unlawful ‘proceedings’ will be initiated by a statutory physique in opposition to college students and school members of a public college within the first place doesn’t alter the character or the bigger impression of such actions.”
The assertion argues that the BCI’s actions are extremely vires the Advocates Act, 1961. It contends that whereas the Act permits the BCI to put down requirements for skilled conduct and promote authorized schooling, it doesn’t empower the physique to order State Bar Councils, in order to arbitrarily droop or ban the enrolment of an individual certified to be an advocate.
“Part 24A of the Act limits disqualification to particular circumstances of felony convictions and doesn’t ponder disbarring enrollment on the premise of getting ‘no regard or respect’ for a judicial officer”, the assertion notes.
The scholars additionally query the Chairman’s authority to unilaterally concern such orders, pointing to Part 4 of the Act, which states that the BCI consists of the Lawyer Common, the Solicitor Common, and one member from every State Bar Council.
“The Chairman has no authorized powers to unilaterally concern orders of this nature”, the assertion provides.
Characterising the BCI’s actions as a ‘direct assault on the elemental proper to free speech and expression assured by Article 19(1)(a) of the Structure’, the scholars invoked Rabindranath Tagore’s immortal phrases ‘The place the Thoughts is With out Worry”, which greet them earlier than getting into their lecture rooms daily.
“…College students, school, and the administration should act and be inspired to behave based on their conscience and constitutional values, with out concern”, the assertion denotes additional.
The Assertion says that BCI’s path to NALSAR to research and ‘individually establish’ college students and school members concerned within the illustration is ‘nothing lower than a witch-hunt’.
The signatories have additionally taken robust exception to the BCI’s characterisation of the coed expression as ‘soiled’ and ‘nasty politics’, calling it an ‘unabashed menace’ with a ‘chilling impact on free speech’ for college kids throughout the nation, the letter states additional.
The assertion highlights what it termed a ‘regarding sample’ of the BCI Chairman utilizing the statutory physique to make partisan political feedback. It famous that the primary letter was issued unilaterally, with the next letter mentioning ‘approval of the Council’.
“…As a substitute of specializing in the poor state of authorized schooling {and professional} improvement within the nation, the Chairman has abused his official place to concern official statements calling the protesting college students at Jantar Mantar ‘anti-social and anti-national forces’ appearing below the affect of ‘overseas adversaries’”, the assertion stated.
“…We stand in unconditional solidarity with our fellow college students at NALSAR who’ve proven exemplary braveness and ethical conviction in talking reality to energy”, the assertion concludes.
