BCI Co-Chair seeks Chairman Manan Mishra's resignation, cites NALSAR row: 'The Bar deserves better'

Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman and BJP MP Manan Kumar Mishra has refused to resign, stating he is an elected representative of the country's lawyers with the support of more than two-thirds of BCI members. Mishra, who has been in office for seven terms, dismissed allegations of financial and administrative irregularities raised by BCI Co-Chairman YR Sadasiva Reddy.

Reddy alleged that ₹150 crore from BCI funds was transferred to a private trust under Mishra's name, and that law colleges were pressured to contribute to the trust. Mishra rejected these claims, calling them baseless and stating that the trust's functioning is transparent and audited annually. Reddy also criticized Mishra's directive to State Bar Councils not to enrol students from NALSAR University, which was later withdrawn. Mishra maintains his position is based on the electoral support of lawyers.