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Bar Council co-chair demands chairman Mishra's resignation
The Hindu··22 Aug
Bar Council of India co-chairperson Y.R. Sadasiva Reddy has demanded chairman Manan Kumar Mishra's resignation, alleging financial irregularities, nepotism in staff appointments and diversion of council funds to a separate trust. The demand follows a Supreme Court petition challenging Mishra's decade-long tenure and a now-withdrawn directive affecting NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch. Mishra has rejected calls to resign.
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What It Means For You
- The dispute affects how India's 25 lakh registered lawyers are governed, since the Bar Council sets enrolment and professional conduct rules for the entire legal profession.
- Law graduates and students, like those from NALSAR, are directly affected by decisions on enrolment eligibility taken during this leadership crisis.
- Colleges and law schools seeking Bar Council approval may be watching whether allegations of forced payments prompt reforms to the accreditation process.
What's Happening
- Co-chairperson Reddy's letter cites eight allegations, including a proposal to move about 150 crore rupees of council funds to a newly created trust.
- Mishra has held the chairman post continuously since 2012 and was re-elected in 2025, prompting a Supreme Court petition questioning the legality of his tenure.
- Mishra has called the resignation demands a "joke" and said he would step down only if defeated in bar council elections.
The NALSAR Row That Triggered This Crisis
- The controversy traces back to an August 13 circular barring NALSAR's 2026 batch from enrolment over objections to Chief Justice Surya Kant attending their convocation, which was withdrawn within hours.
- The Bombay Bar Association publicly called Mishra's apology over the episode "belated" and said he should have already resigned.
- More than 200 lawyers under the All India Young Advocates Association protested outside the BCI office demanding reforms to the council's election mechanism.
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