Archive · 16 Aug 2026
BCI chairman's overreach on NALSAR graduates sparks accountability calls
A big group of lawyers in India, called the Bar Council of India, has a leader named Manan Kumar Mishra.
He got angry because students at a law school called NALSAR wrote a polite letter to their own school.
The students asked the school to think again about inviting the Chief Justice of India to their graduation ceremony.
They did this because they heard the Chief Justice say he did not have time to watch videos about possible police violence.
The leader of the Bar Council said none of those students could become lawyers until he said so.
Many people were upset, because writing a letter is not a crime.
That very same evening, the rest of the Bar Council met and said the order was wrong.
They said most of the students were innocent and let them sign up to become lawyers.
Many people think the leader should apologize and that one person should not be able to make such a big decision alone.
On August 13, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra unilaterally ordered that no 2026 NALSAR graduate could enrol as an advocate until further orders.
The directive followed letters from about 450 students asking that Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant be reconsidered as convocation chief guest.
The same evening, the BCI met in emergency session and unanimously modified the order, stating the 'vast majority' of the students were innocent.
Mishra later posted on X that the BCI had 'decided to close the proceedings altogether.'
Critics, including Advocate N. Manoj Kumar, called the order 'manifestly arbitrary,' and some now question whether Mishra should be removed as chairman.
- Who
- Manan Kumar Mishra, BCI Chairman and sitting BJP MP, versus 2026 NALSAR graduates, who had petitioned their university over Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant.
- What
- The BCI chairman barred all 2026 NALSAR graduates from enrolling as advocates; the BCI Council reversed the order the same evening.
- When
- August 13.
- Where
- India, involving the Bar Council of India and NALSAR.
- Why
- Students had written letters requesting that CJI Surya Kant be reconsidered as convocation chief guest after his reported remark about not having time to watch videos in an alleged police brutality case.
Critics of the directive
BCI leadership's response
Student letters vs. 'organised campaign'
Critics of the directive
The roughly 450 student letters were civil, constitutionally grounded, and non-disruptive — a normal exercise of free expression addressed to their own institution.
BCI leadership's response
Mishra's order treated the letters as an 'organised campaign' and demanded names of students, faculty, alumni, or outsiders who initiated, drafted, circulated, or communicated it to the press.
Authority for the blanket ban
Critics of the directive
The Advocates Act, 1961 does not authorise the chairman, acting alone, to freeze enrolments as punishment; critics call the order 'manifestly arbitrary' and a violation of constitutional rights.
BCI leadership's response
The BCI's revised communication said the 'vast majority' of students were innocent, implying some involvement, and Mishra later said the proceedings were 'closed altogether.'
Whether rollback resolves the issue
Critics of the directive
The rapid reversal proves the overreach; students deserve an apology and a formal inquiry into the chairman's conduct and his ruling-party status.
BCI leadership's response
With the order modified and proceedings closed, the BCI considers the matter resolved and expects the institution to move on.
- BCI Chairman
- Manan Kumar Mishra (also a sitting BJP MP)
- Date
- August 13
- Affected group
- All 2026 NALSAR graduates
- Trigger
- Letters from about 450 students seeking reconsideration of the CJI as convocation chief guest
- Rollback
- Emergency BCI session unanimously modified the order the same evening; proceedings later closed
- Constitutional articles cited
- Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 19(1)(g)
- Legal basis questioned
- Advocates Act, 1961 — no authority for the chairman to act alone without a Council resolution
- Notable critic
- Advocate N. Manoj Kumar (BCI and Bar Council of Kerala member)