New Delhi: Chief Justice Surya Kanta Mishra strongly criticised the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) directive that temporarily barred the enrolment of NALSAR University’s 2026 law graduates, calling the move “absolutely uncalled for” and questioning the Council’s interference in a matter involving students and the judiciary.
The controversy began after the BCI issued a circular instructing all State Bar Councils not to enrol NALSAR graduates while it investigated a student campaign opposing the Chief Justice’s participation in the university’s convocation ceremony. The order also sought a report from the Vice Chancellor identifying those who had initiated or organised the campaign.
Hearing the matter, the Chief Justice remarked that student protests were a normal part of academic life and recalled his own experience of participating in demonstrations during his student years. He made it clear that the issue was a dialogue between him and the students, not one for the Bar Council to intervene in.
The Supreme Court has now sought a formal response from the BCI regarding its circulars and directed that no punitive action be taken against NALSAR students or faculty members while the matter is under consideration.
Within hours of issuing its directive, the BCI withdrew the blanket restriction after stating that its latest information indicated the overwhelming majority of the graduating class had no role in any attempt to disrespect the Chief Justice.
The move had also drawn sharp criticism from the Supreme Court Bar Association. Its president, senior advocate Vikas Singh, described the circular as arbitrary, illegal and disproportionate, arguing that universities must remain spaces for free thought and debate. He said students should never face the threat of being denied entry into the legal profession simply for expressing disagreement with a constitutional authority.
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