BCI action, U-turn and SC rebuke: How NALSAR protest against CJI kicked up a row

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed strong disapproval of the Bar Council of India's (BCI) decision to bar the enrolment of 2026 graduates from Hyderabad's NALSAR University of Law as advocates. The BCI had revoked the decision after the Supreme Court intervened, stating that students had a right to protest peacefully. The CJI emphasized that the dialogue between students and himself should be the sole matter of concern.

The controversy began when students of NALSAR urged the university to reconsider inviting the CJI as the chief guest for their upcoming convocation, citing his reported remarks during a hearing on alleged police excesses against protesters during a July 20 march to Parliament. At least six representations were submitted to the NALSAR administration by students of different batches, all opposing the proposed invitation and referencing the CJI's reported dismissive remarks.

The university's administration submitted five subsequent representations in support of the students' concerns. The BCI threatened to block the enrolment of NALSAR's 2026 law graduates as advocates until further orders, citing the students' behaviour as a liability to the legal profession. However, the BCI later retracted the order following widespread criticism, allowing the 2026 graduates to be enrolled while awaiting an inquiry report from NALSAR.