CJP Demands Accountability from Manan Kumar Mishra
KRC TIMES National Bureau
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday strongly criticised the Bar Council of India (BCI) over its now-withdrawn order seeking to stop the enrolment of NALSAR University of Law’s 2026 graduating batch as advocates. The order had followed a campaign by some students opposing Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s proposed participation in the university’s convocation.
A bench headed by CJI Surya Kant said the BCI had no business interfering in what he described as a matter between the students and him.
“Even if they are wrong, they have a right to protest. BCI doesn’t have any business,” the CJI observed. He also recalled his own student days and said students have the right to participate in student activities and express their views.
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the BCI and said that no punitive action should be taken against the NALSAR students or faculty members in the meantime.
The BCI had initially directed that graduates of the 2026 NALSAR batch should not be enrolled with State Bar Councils. Following criticism, it withdrew the restriction and clarified that the students would be entitled to seek enrolment with State Bar Councils of their choice.
Reacting to the controversy, Saurabh Das, Co-Convenor of the Cockroach Janata Party, questioned the functioning and expenditure of the BCI under its chairman Manan Kumar Mishra. He alleged that the BCI spent ₹14 crore on meetings and conferences in one year, including around ₹12 crore on travel and accommodation, and questioned what the organisation had achieved for young lawyers and law students.
Das also criticised the BCI’s action against the NALSAR graduates, saying that an institution responsible for regulating the legal profession should focus on the welfare of young lawyers and law schools rather than taking action against students for expressing their views.
He called for accountability from Mishra and said the controversy showed the need for greater scrutiny of the BCI’s functioning. The Supreme Court’s intervention has now put the BCI’s handling of the NALSAR controversy under renewed scrutiny.
