Bar Council of India Chairman Apologizes After Enrollment Row Involving NALSAR and NLSIU

Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra has issued a written apology to law students following a controversy involving the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law in Hyderabad. The dispute began on August 13 when the BCI directed state bar councils to halt the enrollment of NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch as advocates. This directive was issued after students campaigned against the invitation of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant to their convocation. The BCI withdrew the order within hours and later closed all proceedings against the students.

Chief Justice Surya Kant criticized the BCI's move as absolutely uncalled for, stating that the matter was a dialogue between the students and himself. The students' objections to the CJI's presence were based on his reported remarks during a court hearing regarding police excesses during protests in Delhi, where he allegedly told a lawyer not to waste the court's time.

In a subsequent open letter, students and alumni of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru expressed solidarity with NALSAR. The letter, signed by 165 graduating students, 409 current students, and 128 alumni, opposed the attendance of both CJI Surya Kant and BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at NLSIU's own upcoming convocation. The NLSIU group described the BCI's initial actions as an attack on the fundamental right to free speech and characterized the demand for a report identifying protesting students as a witch hunt.

In his apology, Chairman Mishra stated that peaceful disagreement and protest are important features of a constitutional democracy. He expressed regret if his words or letters had hurt the feelings of law students and urged them to make their decisions independently. The BCI is a statutory body established under the Advocates Act of 1961 to regulate the Indian Bar and legal education.