# CJI rebukes BCI over NALSAR student protest, enrolment ban revoked 2026-08-14T10:29:43+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 4 independent outlets Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on August 14 strongly disapproved the Bar Council of India's now-revoked decision to bar NALSAR University of Law's 2026 graduates from enrolling as advocates. The students had objected to the CJI being chief guest at their convocation, citing his reported remarks during a hearing on alleged police excesses. The CJI said students have a right to protest peacefully and questioned the BCI's authority to intervene, calling its action "absolutely uncalled for." The Supreme Court issued notice to the BCI and ordered that no punitive action be taken against students or faculty. The BCI had initially directed state bar councils not to enrol any NALSAR 2026 graduate and sought a report identifying those who organised the campaign. Within hours, the BCI reversed the order after public backlash, saying the "vast majority" of students were innocent. BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra later dropped the proposed inquiry. Over 400 NALSAR alumni condemned the BCI's action, calling it a violation of free speech and university autonomy. The matter will be heard again by the Supreme Court in two weeks. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - livemint.com - rediff.com - livelaw.in Tags: Bar Council of India, CJI Surya Kant, legal profession, NALSAR, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cji-pulls-up-bci-for-nalsar-enrolment-ban-calls-it-uncalled-for/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cji-pulls-up-bci-for-nalsar-enrolment-ban-calls-it-uncalled-for/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.