BCI imposes, then lifts, bar on enrolment of NALSAR University students who opposed CJI Kant's address

Hours after the Bar Council of India (BCI) suspended the enrolment of the NALSAR University students of 2026 batch over the campaign against the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant being invited as the chief guest at the convocation, the council has now withdrawn its order, citing that other BCI members had raised objection against the move, the Bar and Bench reported.

The new BCI order comes after Manan Kumar Mishra, chairman of the BCI, issued the suspension order of law students to the NALSAR University’s vice-chancellor and all state bar councils, the report said.

Stating that majority of the NALSAR University 2026 batch's pass-out students were innocent, the BCI said in the new report: "After thorough discussion the Members are of the unanimous view that as per the latest report, vast majority of the students of NALSAR (2026 pass out students) are innocent and they were not inclined to take part in the move of disrespect.”

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BCI Chairman vs BCI over NALSAR University students

As per the fresh directive by the BCI, all the students are entitled to get enrolled with the state bar councils of their choice, reversing the order of chairman with regard to the ban on the enrolment of the NALSAR University students with the state Bar Councils, the report read.

Earlier, the chairman had also asked the law university to submit a report on the persons involved in initiating, planning, and heading the anti-CJI Surya Kant campaign, as per the report.

"Till further orders, no student of NALSAR University of Law, who has obtained the Law Degree in the year 2026, shall be enrolled by any State Bar Council as an Advocate," the earlier report read.

On July 23, the NALSAR University’s 2026 batch students approached the administration and urged it to reconsider the tradition of inviting the CJI to the convocation. According to the students, CJI Kant’s conduct and remarks over the proceedings of the NEET protests at Jantar Mantar were “uneasy with the university values.”

In a response to the law students of the NALSAR University’s 2026 batch, including the staff, over their expression against CJI Kant’s invitation as the chief guest, the BCI said in the earlier report: "As per some reliable sources, there exists groupism and dirty politics among some of the academic staff and they have played a very active role in misleading, instigating and misguiding the students.”

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Final decision on NALSAR University row on August 19: BCI

“This is a very serious matter. The teachers, instead of involving themselves in their teaching job, are doing nasty politics on the campus. Bar Council of India, being the regulator of Legal Education cannot be a mute spectator of such a serious situation,” the previous report read.

Moreover, the bar council had also asked the NALSAR University to submit a report within three days, identifying the persons involved in the campaign, along with a copy of any representation or petition submitted and the list of signatories on record, it had added.

The council had also stated that if any student’s enrollment application is pending, the final decision will remain on hold during the period of inquiry, as per the earlier report.

Explaining its stance over the barring of students from advocacy enrollment, the BCI had also stated that under Sections 7(1)(b), (g), (h) and (i), and Section 49 of the Advocates Act, 1961, which sets out the functions and rule-making powers of the Bar Council of India, the Standards of Professional Conduct and Etiquette apply equally to law students, it added.

The BCI, in its first report, also added that the final decision in the matter will be announced on August 19 after analysing the university’s report. The decision by the BCI invited a storm of criticism from several opposition party members, and the common public.

Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took to his X account and wrote: “Mr. Manan Mishra, HANDS OFF our students! How dare you pass such a grossly illegal order? Reveal your law degree to the world now because a lawyer can’t get the law this wrong!”

He further said that the NALSAR University students have displayed “democratic dissent” against CJP Kant as he was “unfit to hand them over their hand-earned degrees.”