# BCI chairman apologises over NALSAR convocation row 2026-08-16T01:46:37+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has apologised to law students following the controversy over NALSAR University of Law students opposing Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant as convocation chief guest. In a letter shared on Independence Day, Mishra said he "sincerely regret and apologise" if the controversy hurt students' feelings, and emphasised that students must remain free to express their views. The apology comes after around 450 NALSAR students submitted representations asking the university to reconsider the CJI's invitation. The row escalated on August 13 when BCI directed state bar councils not to enrol NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch and sought details of students and faculty involved. BCI withdrew that directive after widespread criticism. The Deccan Herald reports that NALSAR students have demanded an unconditional apology from BCI for attempting to infringe their free speech. DNA India notes the apology followed a rap from CJI Kant, who told the Supreme Court on Friday that the issue was between him and the students. Mishra's letter did not specifically mention the withdrawn directive but appealed for dialogue and reconciliation. ## Coverage - deccanherald.com - dnaindia.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T02:25:28+00:00. Tags: BCI, CJI Kant, NALSAR, NLSIU Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bci-chairman-apologises-nlsiu-students-oppose-cjis-convocation-presence/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bci-chairman-apologises-nlsiu-students-oppose-cjis-convocation-presence/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/