New Delhi: The Supreme Court has made important comments on the rights of the Bar Council of India (BCI) to take action against law students. On Thursday, the court said that BCI does not have the authority under the law to control the behavior of law students. With this, the court canceled two notifications of BCI related to the students of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. The case was related to the protest against making Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant the chief guest at the convocation ceremony of the university.
How did the NALSAR controversy start?
The whole controversy started when some students of NALSAR University objected to the invitation of CJI Surya Kant to the convocation ceremony. The students had demanded the university administration to reconsider this invitation. He said that this protest was not for insulting any person or judicial post, but was related to his concern about constitutional values.
The students also cited some of the CJI's comments during the hearing related to the alleged police action against protesters marching towards Parliament on July 20. Students of different batches presented their views to the university several times on this issue. This issue was raised for the first time by the students on 23 July. The students argued that inviting the CJI as the chief guest at the convocation did not match the university's commitment to the Constitution, access to justice and serious listening to complaints. In one complaint, the CJI's alleged comment regarding watching the video during the hearing was also mentioned.
The students made it clear that they respect the post of CJI, but do not want to support anything that goes against constitutional values. He said that while studying law, he was taught to respect the Constitution and its basic principles.
BCI had taken a tough decision
The controversy further escalated when BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra directed state bar councils not to enroll law graduates of the 2026 batch of NALSAR as lawyers until further orders. The BCI also sought a report from the university on students who allegedly campaigned, organized or supported the CJI's presence at the convocation.
In its initial instructions, the BCI had said that no NALSAR student pursuing a law degree in 2026 will be registered as an advocate with any state bar council until further orders. The Council had also argued that a person who does not have respect for the highest judicial office cannot be eligible to become a responsible lawyer, teacher or judge. BCI had described such behavior as contrary to the dignity, discipline and ethical standards of the legal profession.
Strong criticism of the order
The BCI later also accused some teachers of allegedly misleading the students and instigating them to protest. However, this decision faced criticism from some people in the legal field. Supreme Court Bar Association President Vikas Singh had termed BCI's action as arbitrary, illegal and excessively strict. However, he also clarified that he does not support the students' protest against inviting the CJI to the convocation.
BCI withdrew its instructions
After continuous criticism, BCI withdrew its initial order within a few hours. In the revised message, Manan Kumar Mishra said that the Council has changed its earlier instructions after discussing and considering the entire matter. He said that most of the students of the 2026 batch of NALSAR were innocent and had not shown interest in taking any disrespectful step.
However, BCI accused some teachers and outsiders of playing a role in instigating the students. After the revised decision, the students of 2026 batch got permission to proceed with the process of enrollment in the Bar Council. Meanwhile, BCI decided to wait for the investigation report sought from NALSAR University.
Important decision of Supreme Court
Now the Supreme Court has canceled both the notifications of BCI and made it clear that the council does not have the legal authority to control the behavior of law students. This decision of the court has brought great relief to those students of NALSAR, whose enrollment was stuck due to the initial instructions of BCI.