TISS 86th convocation on August 22; C S Pramesh replaces CJI Surya Kant as chief guest

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has named Tata Memorial Hospital director Dr C S Pramesh as the chief guest for its 86th convocation, replacing Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who was originally invited to preside over the ceremony, which was later rescheduled.

The 86th convocation will now be held at TISS’ Naoroji campus in Deonar, Mumbai on August 22. The convocation was originally scheduled to be held on August 2, which was later postponed. The invitation for the rescheduled ceremony names Pramesh as the chief guest.

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Notably, TISS had invited CJI Surya Kant as the chief guest for the August 2 ceremony. However, around 48 hours before the event, the institute informed students that the convocation had been postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances”. TISS Mumbai admin said that the sudden postponement followed "intelligence inputs" suggesting a possible incident during the event, leading them to cancel it as a precaution.

Students seek accountability

Following the last-minute postponement, a student delegation submitted a formal representation to the TISS registrar, raising concerns over financial burden. The institute said it was working on a system to compensate students for travel and accommodation expenses, with the finance department expected to handle the reimbursement process. The administration declined students' request to distribute degrees separately, stating that degree conferral had to follow the formal convocation process involving the chancellor and deputy chancellor.

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TISS has not publicly explained the reason for replacing CJI Surya Kant and has not officially disclosed whether the chief guest was changed because Surya Kant withdrew or whether the institute decided to replace him.

Before this, TISS conducted its 85th annual convocation on April 18, 2026, at its Mumbai campus. 1,080 students and scholars received their degrees at the ceremony which was attended by governor of Karnataka and chief guest Thaawarchand Gehlot, along with TISS chancellor DP Singh and vice-chancellor Badri Narayan Tiwari.