# Bar Council chief’s NALSAR order bypassed colleagues, insiders say 2026-08-16T20:11:48+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra issued the August 13 directive against NALSAR law students without consulting colleagues, five BCI office-bearers told The Indian Express. The order, which barred the 2026 graduating batch from enrolling with state bar councils, was published on BCI letterhead and only then circulated for approval in a WhatsApp group, where 10 of 19 members approved it, at least three opposed it, and others sought changes. The controversy, sparked after NALSAR students objected to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as their convocation chief guest, has now raised questions about internal governance at the BCI. Advocate M Varadhan has filed a Supreme Court petition seeking limits on repeated terms for the BCI chairman. Mishra, who has headed the council since November 2014, was re-elected in March 2025 for a seventh consecutive term. The Hindu notes that the BCI rules prescribe a two-year term but set no overall ceiling. Meanwhile, students at NLSIU, Bengaluru, have issued a statement signed by 165 graduating students, 409 current students, and 128 alumni, calling Mishra's actions a "witch hunt" and demanding an unconditional apology from the BCI to NALSAR. They also objected to Mishra and CJI Surya Kant attending their own convocation. The Supreme Court has issued notice to the BCI and sought its response in the matter. ## Coverage - thefederal.com - hindustantimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T21:16:41+00:00. Tags: Bar Council of India, Manan Kumar Mishra, NALSAR University of Law, Supreme Court, Surya Kant Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bci-chairperson-issued-nalsar-directive-without-council-approval-say-office-bearers/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bci-chairperson-issued-nalsar-directive-without-council-approval-say-office-bearers/#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/