Education & Career
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SC stays punitive BCI action against NALSAR students
LiveLaw··14 Aug
The Supreme Court issued notice on a petition by two NALSAR alumni seeking an inquiry into how BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra directed State Bar Councils not to enrol the 2026 graduates. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered that no punitive action be taken against students or faculty over the convocation campaign. The freeze had been withdrawn.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you are a NALSAR 2026 graduate seeking enrolment, the Supreme Court has barred punitive BCI or State Bar Council action over the convocation protest letters.
- Law students elsewhere can note the Chief Justice saying peaceful protest is a right and that the BCI had no business ordering inquiries into students.
- Anyone tracking Bar Council procedure can see the petition asking whether the chairman's letters followed a Council resolution or were issued on his own.
What's Happening
- On August 14 the Supreme Court took on board a writ by two NALSAR alumni against BCI chairman letters that had frozen 2026 enrolment.
- The bench directed that no coercive step be taken against students or faculty and asked the BCI for an affidavit explaining the circulars.
- The chairman's enrolment ban, issued on August 13, had already been withdrawn after the Council said most students were not involved.
Why Students Opposed The Convocation Invitation
- NALSAR students had campaigned against inviting Chief Justice Surya Kant to convocation after reported comments in which he used the word cockroach about youths.
- The Advocates Act's Section 24A lists conviction for moral turpitude, an untouchability offence, or dismissal from state service as the grounds to refuse enrolment.
- After dictating the stay, the CJI said NALSAR graduates should take licences, join the Supreme Court bar, and be empanelled for legal aid work.
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