NLSIU students, alumni urge rethink on CJI, BCI chief at convocation amid free speech row

Students and alumni of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) have opposed the participation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at the university's upcoming convocation.

In a statement dated August 15, the group condemned the now-withdrawn BCI order that halted the enrolment of 2026 graduates of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, and expressed solidarity with NALSAR students. The signatories included 165 graduating students, 409 current students, and 128 alumni.

The statement said that even though the BCI has closed all proceedings against NALSAR, the fact that such “unconstitutional and illegal proceedings” could be initiated by a statutory body against students and faculty members of a public university does not alter the larger impact of such actions. It added that the BCI's acknowledgment of the “arbitrary” and “illegal nature” of its actions after the recall did not dilute the responsibility of the Chairman and the BCI.

The students and alumni argued that a university convocation is a monumental event in a student's academic life, meant to celebrate years of hard work. They noted that in a country where access to higher education is restricted by barriers of class, caste, and gender, a convocation marks an important achievement for families. Against this backdrop, inviting persons in high office who have “publicly expressed their disdain and condescension” toward students is “offensive, humiliating, and a mockery of students and their struggles.”

The statement demanded an unconditional apology from the BCI to the student and faculty community at NALSAR for attempting to infringe their fundamental right to free speech and expression. It warned that the BCI's actions create a “chilling effect” on free speech not only for those at NALSAR but for students and citizens across the country, sending a signal that dissent would be met with severe consequences.

The signatories expressed strong disapproval of Manan Kumar Mishra attending the NLSIU convocation without taking responsibility for his conduct. They also stood in solidarity with NALSAR's request to reconsider the choice of the Chief Justice of India as Chief Guest for their convocation and expressed strong disapproval of the CJI attending the NLSIU convocation for the same reasons.

The controversy stems from an order issued by the BCI on August 13, directing all state bar councils not to enrol any 2026 graduate of NALSAR until further orders. This followed students' objections to a proposed campus visit by Chief Justice Surya Kant. The BCI reversed its order within hours after a social media uproar. On August 14, the CJI-led bench sharply pulled up the BCI, with Chief Justice Surya Kant remarking, “It's a dialogue between students and me,” while affirming that students have a right to protest.

The NLSIU convocation, expected to be held later this month, has now become a flashpoint in a broader debate about institutional accountability, student dissent, and the exercise of free speech in India's legal education system.