Back off, was the message from Chief Justice Surya Kanta Mishra to Bar Council of India (BCI) that had issued a directive to all State Bar Councils not to enrol students who graduated from NALSAR University of Hyderabad.
No student shall be made to suffer without any fault on his or her part,” BCI chairperson Manan Kumar said in a statement on Thursday evening. The BCI, the apex regulatory body of the legal profession, had issued the order to halt graduates’ enrolment pending an inquiry into a campaign by students opposing the participation of Chief Justice in the university’s convocation. The factual inquiry will continue, and further action will follow on the basis of the report.
Within hours of issuing the order, the BCI said its latest information indicated that the vast majority of the 2026 NALSAR graduates were innocent and were not inclined to participate in any move to disrespect the Chief Justice. Earlier reporting noted: BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra earlier said no student who obtained a law degree from NALSAR in 2026 should be enrolled as an advocate until the council issues further directions. Earlier reporting noted: The Bar Council of India has taken back its order which barred students belonging to the 2026 batch of Hyderabad law college, National Academy of Legal Studies (NALSAR), from enrolling as advocates. Hours earlier, the BCI had directed every State Bar Council not to enrol any student graduating from Hyderabad’s NALSAR University of Law in 2026 as an advocate until further orders after students of the institution protested against an invitation to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to attend the university’s convocation. All 2026 passed-out students of NALSAR will now be entitled to seek enrolment with the State Bar Council of their choice.
Earlier reporting noted: “After detailed deliberation, the @barcouncilindia has modified its earlier directions concerning @NALSAR_Official.
“Absolutely uncalled for. I myself was a student who was actively engaged in protests. It’s a dialogue between me and students; who are they (BCI) to interfere,” the Chief Justice underlined.
The SCBA chief said universities were intended to be spaces for free thought and debate and that students should not be threatened with denial of entry into the legal profession merely for disagreeing with a constitutional authority. “Students cannot be threatened with denial of their right to enter the legal profession merely because they have expressed disagreement with a constitutional authority”, the senior lawyer added.
