Bengaluru: The controversy over student dissent at India’s top law schools has reached Bengaluru, with students and alumni of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) opposing the proposed presence of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at the university’s upcoming convocation.
An open letter opposing their presence has been signed by 165 students from the graduating Class of 2026, 409 current students and 128 alumni. The signatories said they stand in “unconditional solidarity” with students at Hyderabad’s NALSAR University of Law, where a similar dispute has triggered a wider debate over student freedom and the role of the BCI.
The NALSAR controversy began after a section of students objected to CJI Surya Kant being invited as chief guest for the university’s convocation. Their concerns were linked, in part, to remarks made by the CJI during proceedings concerning alleged police action against protesters. Surya Kant later clarified that he had not refused to hear the matter and said the appropriate legal procedure should be followed.
The dispute escalated on August 13, when the BCI directed state bar councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduating batch as advocates until further directions. The move attracted strong criticism and was withdrawn within hours. BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra later apologised to law students and said their dignity, independence of thought and legitimate concerns should be respected.
The Supreme Court also questioned the BCI’s intervention in the matter. Meanwhile, CJI Surya Kant has said he never accepted the NALSAR invitation, making clear that he would not be attending that convocation.
At NLSIU, however, students say the issue has not ended with the BCI withdrawing its order. They have demanded an unconditional apology from the council and questioned how the controversial directive was issued. They also objected to Mishra attending their convocation without taking responsibility for the episode.
The latest development is significant because NLSIU itself has a long association with both institutions. At its 2025 convocation, Surya Kant, then a Supreme Court judge, presided over the ceremony, while Mishra delivered the welcome address.
What began as a disagreement over a convocation guest has now developed into a much larger conversation about student dissent, freedom of expression, institutional autonomy and the powers of the legal profession’s regulator.
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