2 weeks ago
BCI Chief Mishra's 12-Year Tenure Sparks Supreme Court Reform Plea
Imagine a big club for lawyers in India called the Bar Council of India.
It makes sure lawyers follow good rules.
The leader of this club is called the chairman.
One man, Manan Kumar Mishra, has been the chairman for almost 12 years.
The club rules say the chairman's job should last only two years.
But Mr. Mishra keeps getting chosen again and again, seven times in a row.
Some people think that is not fair, because leaders from many other parts of India never get a turn.
So a lawyer asked the Supreme Court, India's top court, to make a new rule.
They want leaders to serve only two years at a time and no more than three times in their life.
The Supreme Court is now looking at this question.
A Supreme Court petition challenges the proviso to Section 4(3) of the Advocates Act, 1961, which lets Bar Council of India members stay in office until a successor is elected.
BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra was first elected in 2012 and was most recently re-elected unopposed for a record seventh consecutive term on March 1, 2025.
Mishra has led the BCI for approximately 11 years and 9 months as of August 2026, despite the BCI Rules prescribing a two-year term for the chairman and vice-chairman.
The petition seeks a fixed two-year tenure, a lifetime limit of three terms, safeguards against circumventing limits, and a rotational system for the chairman's post.
The case follows a NALSAR University of Law controversy in which Mishra directed State Bar Councils not to enrol the university's 2026 batch, a move questioned by a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
The petition notes that representatives from 20 of India's 28 states have not held the BCI chairmanship in the past 30 years.
- Who
- Advocate M. Varadhan filed the petition; Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra is at the centre of the tenure dispute, and the Supreme Court of India is hearing the matter.
- What
- A Supreme Court petition seeking a fixed two-year tenure, a lifetime cap of three terms, and regional rotation for the BCI chairman and vice-chairman posts.
- Where
- India, before the Supreme Court of India.
- When
- Mishra's most recent re-election was on March 1, 2025; his tenure has lasted about 11 years and 9 months as of August 2026.
- Why
- To prevent prolonged occupancy of key BCI leadership positions through repeated re-elections and to ensure representatives from different states get a genuine opportunity to lead the national regulator.
Reform Advocates
Existing System / BCI
Term limits for BCI leadership
Reform Advocates
A fixed two-year term and a lifetime cap of three terms are needed because repeated re-election lets one person hold the chairmanship for nearly 12 years, weakening meaningful institutional rotation.
Existing System / BCI
The law allows a member to continue in office until a successor is elected, and Mishra's tenure has been repeatedly endorsed through the prescribed election process, including an unopposed seventh term.
NALSAR 2026 batch enrolment directive
Reform Advocates
Mishra's directive to State Bar Councils not to enrol NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch was criticised as collective punishment of an innocent batch following a student campaign, and the Supreme Court affirmed students' right to protest and barred punitive action.
Existing System / BCI
The BCI withdrew or modified the directive, stating that the vast majority of students were innocent and that proceedings against the 2026 batch had been closed.
Regional rotation for the chairman's post
Reform Advocates
A transparent and equitable rotational system is needed because representatives from 20 of India's 28 states have not held the BCI chairmanship in the past 30 years, despite the Council's national character.
Existing System / BCI
The existing electoral framework is the democratic mechanism for choosing leadership, and prolonged control through repeated elections is presented as a limitation of that framework rather than unlawful conduct.
Key facts
- BCI Chairman
- Manan Kumar Mishra
- First elected chairman
- 2012
- Most recent re-election
- Unopposed, record seventh consecutive term on March 1, 2025
- Tenure as of August 2026
- Approximately 11 years and 9 months
- Prescribed term
- Two years per BCI Rules
- Petition demands
- Fixed two-year tenure; lifetime limit of three terms; rotational chairmanship
- States without chairmanship in 30 years
- 20 of 28 states
- Provision challenged
- Proviso to Section 4(3) of the Advocates Act, 1961
- Mishra's other roles
- Senior advocate; BJP-nominated Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar
Sources
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