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Supreme Court probes Bar Council's withdrawn order against NALSAR
LiveLaw··15 Aug
The Bar Council of India directed state councils to stop enrolling NALSAR University's 2026 graduates after students objected to inviting Chief Justice Surya Kant as convocation chief guest. BCI withdrew the order within hours. Two alumni have now petitioned the Supreme Court for an inquiry, and over 400 alumni wrote an open letter criticising the chairman's letters.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you or someone you know is a law student, this case tests whether a professional regulator like the BCI can penalise students for expressing views on campus matters unrelated to their legal training.
- The Supreme Court's notice, directing no punitive action against NALSAR students or faculty, sets a precedent that could protect students at other law schools from similar regulatory overreach.
- For practising or aspiring advocates, the case clarifies who actually controls enrolment, since the plea argues only State Bar Councils, not the BCI, have that power under the Advocates Act.
What's Happening
- BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra issued a letter on August 13 barring enrolment of NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch and seeking names of students behind a campaign against inviting CJI Surya Kant to convocation.
- A second letter permitted enrolment but still sought identification of those involved; the entire order was withdrawn hours later after criticism on social media.
- Two NALSAR alumni filed a Supreme Court plea seeking an enquiry into the letters, and CJI Surya Kant told the court that students have a right to peacefully protest.
Adaptive Context
- Section 24A of the Advocates Act lists only three grounds for barring enrolment, none involving student protest or campus disagreements, which is central to the alumni's legal argument.
- Over 400 NALSAR alumni signed an open letter calling the BCI's action a "witch hunt," and a student group called the Cockroach Janta Party publicly opposed the order.
- The BCI's core statutory role under the Advocates Act covers regulating advocates and legal education standards, not internal university disputes over convocation guest choices, according to the plea.
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