Justice BV Nagarathna of the Supreme Court emphasized the need for Bar Councils to reevaluate their functions and strive to regain the respect of their members. This statement was made on Saturday, following a recent controversy involving the Bar Council of India (BCI) and NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad.
Subsequently, a Supreme Court bench, led by CJI Kant, while hearing the matter, questioned the BCI’s intervention in the controversy and emphasised the students’ right to peacefully express dissent. The episode also led to criticism of the BCI from sections of the legal fraternity, including demands for Mishra’s resignation. She linked the present responsibility of lawyers to the historical role played by the legal profession in India’s freedom struggle and constitution-making, saying the time had come for individual members of the Bar as well as the profession collectively to introspect on their duties towards distressed litigants and democracy. Justice Nagarathna also cautioned the new generation of lawyers against allowing the pursuit of a successful career to undermine their public responsibilities, urging them to treat work for clients as a form of public service.
Her remarks assume significance against the backdrop of the BCI’s recent action against the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR, which triggered a confrontation with the students and drew sharp scrutiny from the Supreme Court.
“The lawyers of this country are the torch bearers of the values of our Constitution,” she said, warning that any lapse or error by the Bar could have a “deep impact” on India’s political and civic life. “Use your knowledge and judgment in the service of the rule of law,” she told the graduates, who she reminded were leaving NLU Delhi as “Officers of the Court and Stewards of the Constitution”.
