Bar Council Freezes Enrolment for Entire NALSAR 2026 Batch Amid Row Over CJI’s Convocation Visit
Regulator says it will not stand by silently as students and faculty allegedly organise campaign against Chief Justice Surya Kant’s presence at convocation
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Delhi, 13, August,2026-The Bar Council of India (BCI) has taken a dramatic step against the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, announcing that none of these students will be allowed to enrol as advocates with any state bar council until further notice.
The move comes in response to an organised student campaign opposing Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s participation as chief guest at the university’s upcoming convocation.
What the order says
The directive, signed by BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, has been sent to NALSAR Vice-Chancellor Prof. Srikrishna Deva Rao and to every state bar council across the country.
In blunt terms, the order puts a complete hold on enrolment for anyone who completed their law degree at NALSAR this year, until the Council decides otherwise.
Alongside the freeze, the BCI has directed the university to conduct an internal inquiry and submit, within three days, a verified report naming those chiefly responsible for starting, organising, drafting, or coordinating the campaign.
The university has also been asked to hand over any petitions or representations connected to the protest, complete with the names of everyone who signed them.
BCI points finger at faculty “politics”
In unusually pointed language, the Council suggested that internal rivalries among NALSAR’s teaching staff were partly to blame, accusing certain faculty members of stoking the unrest rather than focusing on their academic duties.
The regulator framed this as a serious lapse it could not overlook, given its statutory role in overseeing legal education, and said it would not remain a passive onlooker to what it called “dirty politics” playing out on campus.
Who could be affected
According to the order, the university’s report should also cover office-bearers of the Student Bar Council, along with any faculty members, research scholars, alumni, or outside individuals who took part in organising the protest.
Citing its powers under Sections 7(1)(b), (g), (h) and (i), along with Section 49 of the Advocates Act, 1961, the BCI asserted that the professional conduct standards it enforces for practising lawyers extend to law students as well. It drew a line between what it considers legitimate dissent and conduct amounting to organised intimidation, coercion, or calls to boycott a constitutional authority — the latter, it said, crosses into unacceptable territory.
A Calibrated, Not Blanket, Warning
Notably, the BCI clarified that it has not at least not yet concluded that anyone is automatically disqualified from enrolment simply for backing or signing the representation.
The Council indicated it intends to distinguish between students who merely lent their support or signature and those who actively organised, coordinated, or drove an actual boycott or disruption of the event.
For any individual specifically flagged by the BCI for further inquiry, state bar councils have been told to withhold their enrolment altogether. In cases where an enrolment application is already in process, councils must pause a final decision and keep the BCI updated on its status.
The Council maintained that this pause is meant purely to protect the integrity of the enrolment process, and that being named for preliminary inquiry does not, by itself, amount to a finding of wrongdoing.
What happens next
The BCI has indicated that it will take a final call on the matter on August 19, 2026, once it has reviewed NALSAR’s report on the individuals behind the campaign.
