New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday sharply rebuked the Bar Council of India (BCI) over its directive instructing state bar councils to withhold the enrolment of 2026-batch NALSAR University of Law graduates as advocates, affirming that students possess an inherent right to protest.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, made the observations while hearing an urgent plea challenging the controversial circular. The Chief Justice questioned the regulatory body’s standing to intervene in campus dissent, emphasizing that the matter was strictly an internal dialogue between the court leadership and the students.
Issuing formal notice to the BCI on the petition, the apex court ordered that no punitive measures be initiated against the students or faculty of the Hyderabad-based law university at the behest of the BCI or any state bar council. Counsel representing the BCI informed the Bench during the proceedings that the circular in question had already been withdrawn. The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing in two weeks.
The controversy originated on August 13 when BCI Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra directed state councils to halt advocate enrolments for the entire graduating class pending an inquiry into alleged student campaigns opposing the Chief Justice’s attendance at the university convocation. Following widespread public criticism and social media backlash, the statutory regulatory body hastily amended its stance within hours, permitting enrolments and acknowledging that the vast majority of graduates should not face career disruption over the actions of a few individuals.
