These days, a big controversy has arisen regarding the convocation ceremony in the prestigious National Law School of India University i.e. NLSIU, Bengaluru, which has created a stir in the legal circles across the country. The current students of the institute, the upcoming graduating students of the upcoming 2026 batch and a large number of alumni have come together to strongly object to the invitation of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Bar Council of India (BCI) President Manan Kumar Mishra as chief guests at the upcoming convocation of the university. Since the release of this joint statement signed by more than 700 students and alumni, a new debate has erupted across the country regarding freedom of expression and the rights of statutory institutions. This strong stance of the students symbolizes that the young legal fraternity is no longer ready to remain silent on the violation of democratic values and constitutional rights inside and outside the campus, due to which the convocation is now becoming a big platform for ideological disagreement rather than an academic celebration.
The whole matter of the disputed order of BCI and solidarity with the students of NALSAR
The real root of this entire controversy is linked to the famous NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, where recently a very controversial and stringent order was issued by the Bar Council of India. Under that order, BCI had given instructions to temporarily stop the enrollment of NALSAR University students as lawyers, however, later that order was withdrawn due to increasing protests. NLSIU students clearly say that even though BCI has withdrawn its order, the initiation of such unconstitutional and arbitrary process by any statutory body against the students and teachers of a reputed government university is in itself a very serious matter. The students stressed that mere withdrawal of the order does not eliminate the mental and professional impact of that action, nor can the BCI and its top officials be completely freed from their responsibilities. On this issue, the students of NLSIU have shown complete unconditional solidarity with their fellow students of NALSAR and have deeply appreciated the courage and moral fortitude of those who have set a great example of standing up to power and speaking the truth.
‘Convocation is a celebration of hard work, not a platform for insults’ – blunt demand of students
In this joint statement, the students have raised the point in very clear words that the convocation ceremony of the university is the biggest and proudest event in the entire academic life of any student, the main purpose of which is to celebrate years of hard work, dedication and struggle. In our country, where accessing higher education is still a huge struggle in itself, overcoming the barriers of class, caste and gender and going through complex entrance examinations, the convocation ceremony is a very emotional and important milestone for the families. In such an environment, inviting officials who openly show disregard and disdain towards the students as chief guests at the convocation is not only extremely disrespectful to the students but also makes a mockery of their years of struggle and their academic rigour. The students have strongly demanded from the Bar Council of India that it should tender an unconditional public apology to the student and faculty community of NALSAR as its action directly infringes on the fundamental right to freedom of expression.
Why are serious questions being raised on the involvement of CJI Surya Kant and BCI President?
The statement further expressed serious concern that it was completely inappropriate for BCI President Manan Kumar Mishra to attend the NLSIU convocation without taking moral responsibility for his conduct, and at the same time, the students also fully supported the earlier demand of NALSAR to reconsider the decision of inviting the Chief Justice of India as the chief guest of their convocation. Citing all these serious reasons, the students of NLSIU have registered their strong disagreement with the CJI also attending the convocation ceremony. On the other hand, reacting to this entire incident, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant had recently made it clear that this entire matter is a direct dialogue between the students and them, as earlier the CJI-led bench had itself expressed strong displeasure over the arbitrary order of BCI to stop the enrollment of NALSAR graduates as lawyers. Now it remains to be seen whether some new steps are taken in this direction from the top level of the university administration and judiciary after this vocal protest by the students.