Bengaluru, 16 August

The Students and Alumni of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru have opposed CJI Surya Kant and Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra attending the upcoming convocation of the varsity.

In a statement from 15 August, the students and alumni condemned the now-withdrawn Bar Council of India (BCI) order to halt the enrolment of students of NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, and expressed their solidarity with the students at NALSAR.

"We are aware that the BCI has closed all proceedings against NALSAR. However, the fact that such unconstitutional and illegal ‘proceedings’ can be initiated by a statutory body against students and faculty members of a public university in the first place does not alter the nature or the larger impact of such actions or dilute the responsibility of the Chairman and the BCI," the statement signed by 165 graduating students of the Class of 2026, 409 current students and 128 alumni.

They have demanded that the BCI unconditionally apologise to the student and faculty community at NALSAR for attempting to infringe their fundamental right to free speech and expression.

On 14 August Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said as he sharply pulled up the BCI for its order that the 2026 graduates of Hyderabad's NALSAR University of Law not be enrolled as advocates, stating that, students have a right to protest.