Due to unforeseen circumstances, National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, has canceled its 34th annual convocation for the 2026 graduating class.
The decision was made weeks after the university notified students that the convocation would take place on September 12. Subject to clearance from the university’s regulatory bodies, NLSIU announced on August 27 that all graduating students would instead get their degrees in absentia.
Students will be able to pick up their certificates on the campus or have them delivered via courier. The university stated that graduating students would receive a form and more instructions.
The anticipated attendance of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at the convocation has drawn increasing opposition from NLSIU students and alumni.
Over 700 students and alumni opposed to their presence and called for an unreserved apology from the BCI to the NALSAR University of Law faculty and student body.
The BCI’s August 13 decision to temporarily stop enrolling NALSAR’s 2026 graduating class due to a campaign against CJI Surya Kant’s intended attendance at its convocation sparked controversy. Within hours, the BCI reversed the ruling.
Students and alumni from NLSIU had dubbed the BCI’s mandate to identify students and professors involved in the campaign “nothing less than a witch-hunt” and characterized its actions as an assault on free speech. Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly spoke with NLSIU students for ninety minutes to learn about their issues.
165 graduating students, 409 current students, and 128 alumni signed the statement denouncing the BCI’s activities.
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