Now Reading: BCI chairperson Manan Mishra apologises to NALSAR students after row
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BCI chairperson Manan Mishra apologises to NALSAR students after row
BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra has apologised to law students after his order to freeze enrolment of NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch sparked a furore. In an Independence Day letter, Mishra said if…
The Story in Brief
BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra has apologised to law students after his order to freeze enrolment of NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch sparked a furore. In an Independence Day letter, Mishra said if any of his words hurt students' feelings, he sincerely regrets and apologises. The BCI had on August 13 directed state bar councils not to enrol the batch after about 450 students opposed CJI Surya Kant being chief guest at the convocation. The order was withdrawn within hours after widespread criticism and a Supreme Court rebuke that called it 'absolutely unnecessary'.
The Student Bar Council of NALSAR had demanded an apology, calling the move a violation of privacy and statutory limits. Students of NLSIU Bengaluru also joined the protest. Mishra, a BJP Rajya Sabha member, said students must always remain free to express their views and that no student should be compelled to attend or abstain from the convocation.
The Indian Opinion
The BCI chairperson's apology is welcome, but the episode exposed a deeper problem: one man with a party badge and a statutory letterhead tried to punish an entire batch for peaceful dissent. The 'anti-national' framing of student protest is lazy and familiar. The real test is whether the BCI will now reform its functioning, or whether the next controversy will follow the same script of overreach, backlash, and climbdown. Can a statutory body whose chairperson runs it like a fief truly regulate the profession of law? The Advocates Act gives clear limits; the question is who will enforce them.
Sources (8): indiatvnews.com, indiatoday.in, timesnownews.com, thenewsminute.com, livelaw.in, livelaw.in (2), livelaw.in (3), barandbench.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 8 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 8 sources.
