The walk back: BCI chief acted on own, say members

The Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman, Manan Kumar Mishra, initially issued an order on Thursday evening barring the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, from enrolling with state Bar councils and initiating an inquiry against them. This directive was quickly challenged by four of the BCI's 19 office bearers, with three opposing it outright and another seeking modifications.

NALSAR's Vice Chancellor refused to enforce the order, deeming it potentially "unconstitutional". The Cockroach Janta Party, which had led a protest at Jantar Mantar, called on all "legal cockroaches to unite" in response. The original directive also instructed the Vice Chancellor to investigate a student campaign against inviting Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to the university's convocation.

Advocate Manoj Kumar N, Vice-Chairman of the BCI's executive committee, stated that Mishra had taken the decision without consulting his colleagues, signing and publishing the directive on the BCI's letterhead before seeking approval in the WhatsApp group. Ten BCI office bearers approved the letter while at least three, including Mishra, Sadasiva Reddy and A Rami Reddy, opposed it. Co-Chairman Ved Prakash Sharma requested changes to the order.

Later that evening, the BCI published a second letter claiming it had modified its earlier directions, withdrawing the bar on enrolment and stating that the members had "after thorough discussion" reached a "unanimous view" to modify the order. Mishra also personally responded on X to a post by Saurav Das, Co-convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party, stating that the BCI had withdrawn the letter.

However, within hours, NALSAR's Vice Chancellor issued a press statement stating that the BCI's inquiry order against the students would not be implemented, citing constitutional concerns. This order, too, was short-lived as Mishra announced on X at 12:43 am Friday that the BCI had stopped all proceedings against the 2026 batch and would not require any further action from the university administration.