Bengaluru:
College students and alumni of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) have opposed the invitation to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra to the college’s upcoming convocation ceremony.
The opposition comes days after a significant controversy at one other premier establishment, the Nationwide Academy of Authorized Research and Analysis (NALSAR) College of Legislation in Hyderabad, the place the BCI briefly ordered that college students from the 2026 graduating batch shouldn’t be enrolled as advocates after a few of them objected to Chief Justice Kant being invited as chief visitor at their convocation.
The BCI later withdrew the order, and Mishra apologised to legislation college students, saying their “dignity, independence of thought and bonafide issues” have to be revered.
In a letter on Saturday college students and alumni of NLSIU mentioned they stood in “unconditional solidarity” with their counterparts at NALSAR and criticised each the BCI chairman’s conduct and the CJI’s proposed participation in their very own convocation.
The scholar physique mentioned that the difficulty was not merely about who attends a commencement ceremony however whether or not college students at India’s main legislation faculties needs to be free to disagree with highly effective establishments and public officers with out fearing penalties for his or her skilled futures.
“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 mentioned.
The NLSIU college students and alumni have demanded an unconditional apology from the BCI to the NALSAR scholar and college group.
They accused the BCI of trying to infringe college students’ basic proper to freedom of speech and expression. Additionally they referred to as on the BCI to elucidate how its official letterhead got here for use by its chairman in reference to the controversial order.
NLSIU and the BCI have a protracted institutional relationship with the college’s governing our bodies together with each the Chief Justice of India and the BCI chairman. At NLSIU’s 2025 convocation, Chief Justice Surya Kant, then a Supreme Court docket choose, presided over the ceremony whereas Mishra delivered the welcome deal with.
The newest dispute due to this fact locations two of the nation’s strongest authorized establishments – the Supreme Court docket and the statutory regulator of the authorized career – on the centre of a debate with college students of certainly one of India’s most influential legislation faculties.
The NALSAR Episode
The dispute started at NALSAR after a bit of its graduating class objected to the college’s proposal to ask Justice Kant as chief visitor for its convocation.
The scholars’ objections associated to remarks attributed to the Chief Justice throughout a request for pressing itemizing of a petition alleging police brutality throughout protests led by the Cockroach Janata Occasion at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Chief Justice Surya Kant was quoted as saying, “Do not waste our time.” He later clarified that he had not refused to listen to the petition, however had requested that it’s filed within the correct method.
On Thursday, the council, headed Mishra, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, issued an order directing state bar councils to not enrol members of NALSAR’s 2026 graduating batch till additional instructions.
The order argued {that a} legislation scholar who confirmed no regard or respect for the nation’s highest judicial workplace couldn’t be anticipated to turn into a “accountable or smart advocate, trainer or a choose”.
It instantly triggered an issue. Hours after issuing the order, Mishra sought to distance the council from any suggestion that every one NALSAR college students needs to be punished.
In a put up on X, he mentioned the “overwhelming majority” of scholars had been harmless and mustn’t undergo for the alleged misconduct of some. He mentioned motion could be taken after an inquiry. Later that night time, the BCI withdrew the order in its entirety.
