NLSIU students, alumni oppose CJI Surya Kant’s convocation invite over BCI row

Students and alumni of the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru have opposed the invitation extended to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra for the university’s upcoming convocation.

In a statement dated August 15, the group condemned the now-withdrawn Bar Council of India order that had barred the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, from enrolling at state bar councils.

The statement said the unconstitutional and illegal proceedings initiated by a statutory body against students and faculty of a public university did not absolve the BCI chairman of responsibility for his conduct.

The group called it “offensive, humiliating, and a mockery of students and their struggles” to have someone who had publicly expressed disdain toward students preside over conferring degrees.

The statement was signed by 165 graduating students of the Class of 2026, 409 current students, and 128 alumni of NLSIU.

The row follows a similar controversy at NALSAR itself, where the BCI’s enrolment order had triggered widespread criticism before being withdrawn.

The Bar Council of India is the statutory body responsible for regulating legal education and the conduct of the legal profession in the country, giving its actions significant weight over students’ ability to practice law after graduation.

Convocation ceremonies typically mark the formal conclusion of a student’s academic programme, with invited dignitaries conferring degrees, making the choice of who presides a matter of considerable symbolic importance to graduating students.

The controversy underscores growing friction between law students and regulatory bodies over enrolment and disciplinary decisions that directly affect their ability to begin legal careers.

As Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant is frequently invited to preside over law school convocations across the country, making the NLSIU objection a notable departure from the usual reception such invitations receive.

Photo by Pinakpani, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0