‘Not a matter of ego’: BCI chairman apologises to law students after row over NALSAR diktat
NEW DELHI: Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday apologised to law students following the council’s controversial decision to briefly halt the enrolment of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law’s 2026 graduating batch as advocates, Bar and Bench reported.In a letter issued on Independence Day, Mishra said he regretted any words or communication connected to the controversy that may have hurt the feelings of law students.“If anything connected with the present controversy, any of my words, or letter, has hurt the feelings of our law students, I sincerely regret and apologise for the same. There should be no hesitation in saying so,” the letter reads.“An expression of regret is not a matter of prestige or ego. It is simply an acknowledgment that the feelings and concerns of our students matter,” he added.The apology comes after the BCI directed all state bar councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduates as advocates until further orders. The council withdrew the directive within hours following an uproar on social media.The BCI had initially said it was examining allegations regarding a campaign against Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s participation in NALSAR’s convocation and had sought a report identifying those responsible.The council later modified its decision to allow the enrolment of the university’s 2026 graduates before withdrawing the notification altogether. The revised notification said the “vast majority” of students were innocent and should not be made to suffer for the alleged “misconduct” of a few.The controversy began after around 450 graduating NALSAR students urged the university to reconsider inviting CJI Kant as chief guest at its convocation. The students cited his alleged refusal to hear pleas concerning “police brutality” against students who had marched to Parliament on July 20 seeking the resignation of then-Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG question paper leak in May.
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The Supreme Court later expressed “strong disapproval” of the BCI’s now-revoked order.A bench headed by CJI Kant, and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said students have the right to protest peacefully and described the episode as a “dialogue” between him and the students.“If students are protesting peacefully, who is BCI to take action? It is the right of the students to protest peacefully. It is a dialogue between students and me. No one else has to step in,” the CJI said.The Supreme Court also stayed any coercive action against students or faculty by the BCI or state councils.“It (the letter) was absolutely uncalled for,” the bench added.
