Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Advocates Demand Bar Council Chief’s Resignation After NALSAR Row
Lawyers held a protest outside the Bar Council of India office in Delhi.
They asked its chief, Manan Kumar Misra, to resign.
The dispute began when Misra said new graduates from NALSAR could not join state bar associations.
The graduates had rejected the Supreme Court Chief Justice as a guest of honour.
They disagreed with comments connected to protests by students.
The Chief Justice said students had a right to protest and questioned the Bar Council’s involvement.
Misra later cancelled the restriction and apologised.
Some lawyers said their protest was also about wider problems facing the legal profession.
Advocates protested outside the Bar Council of India office in Delhi, demanding Manan Kumar Misra’s resignation.
The protest followed Misra’s decision to bar 2026 NALSAR graduates from enrolment after they rejected the Chief Justice as a guest of honour.
Misra later withdrew the notification and apologised to the students.
Protesters cited alleged irregularities, poor treatment of lawyers and the decline of criminal-law practice.
Abhijeet Dipke and the Cockroach Janta Party supported the demonstration, while organisers described it as an advocates’ movement against the legal profession’s apex body.
- Who
- The protest involved advocates, the All India Young Lawyers Association, and supporters including Abhijeet Dipke’s Cockroach Janta Party; the demand targeted Bar Council of India chief Manan Kumar Misra.
- What
- Advocates protested and submitted a memorandum demanding Misra’s resignation, warning of a larger demonstration if he did not quit.
- When
- The protest took place on August 20, 2026, after Dipke’s message on August 19 and related developments the previous week.
- Where
- Outside the Bar Council of India chief’s office in Delhi.
- Why
- Protesters cited alleged irregularities and wider grievances about the treatment of lawyers, while the immediate controversy involved Misra’s temporary bar on enrolling 2026 NALSAR graduates.
Protesters’ Position
Stated Scope of the Movement
Reason for resignation demand
Protesters’ Position
Protesters said Misra should answer for alleged irregularities and for broader failures affecting lawyers, including treatment in police stations and the decline of criminal-law practice.
Stated Scope of the Movement
Advocate Raman Sharma said the demonstration was strictly an advocates’ movement against their own apex body, rather than simply an extension of the NALSAR dispute.
NALSAR enrolment decision
Protesters’ Position
NALSAR students and alumni said Misra lacked jurisdiction to bar their enrolment and criticised the action as showing disregard for free speech and insufficient empathy toward students.
Stated Scope of the Movement
Misra withdrew the restriction and apologised, but the article does not provide a further public defence of his original decision.
Role of political support
Protesters’ Position
Abhijeet Dipke and the Cockroach Janta Party openly encouraged legal professionals to join the protest.
Stated Scope of the Movement
Raman Sharma said the movement was led by advocates and that outside political support did not change its stated purpose.
- Target of resignation demand
- Manan Kumar Misra, chairman of the Bar Council of India
- Protest location
- Outside the Bar Council of India office in Delhi
- Official protest group
- All India Young Lawyers Association
- Immediate trigger
- A notification barring 2026 NALSAR graduates from enrolment in state bar associations
- Subsequent action
- Misra withdrew the notification and apologised to the students
- Additional support
- Abhijeet Dipke and the Cockroach Janta Party backed the protest
- Other institutional support
- The Bombay Bar Association reportedly passed a resolution seeking Misra’s resignation