By 
The Student Bar Council (SBC) of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad has said something important. They clarified that National Law School of India University’s (NLSIU) administration was NOT the one who asked graduating students to write a public letter re-inviting the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant to their convocation. That convocation was later cancelled.
A Statement of Support
NALSAR’s SBC made this clarification while showing support for NLSIU’s graduating Batch of 2026. They were worried about the events that led to the convocation being cancelled.
How the CJI Is Connected to NLSIU
The CJI holds an official position at NLSIU. He acts as the Chancellor and leads the university’s convocation. Degrees are given out in his name. Because of this, NLSIU students had already agreed to let the CJI attend their convocation.
A New Demand
But then something changed. After already agreeing to let the CJI attend, students were suddenly asked to write and publish a letter “re-inviting” him. The SBC said this new condition came up only after the earlier agreement was made, and they strongly criticized this move.
Demand’s Source Unclear
The SBC said only the people directly involved can say for sure who exactly demanded this letter. But they said it was made clear to them that NLSIU’s administration did not ask for this “re-invitation” letter. Because students refused to write it, the convocation ended up being cancelled.
A Troubling Demand
The SBC said that if this demand had come from the CJI’s own office, it would be very worrying. It would mean the office cared more about looking good publicly than about the students’ interests. In their words:
“We also want to note that if such request of a ‘public letter’ was made by the office of the CJI, it is incredibly unfortunate as the office of the CJI apparently preferred creating suitable public discourse in the interest of their office over the interests of the students. We salute the principled stance of the students of the Batch of 2026 when they rejected this request and stood by their earlier act of dissent.”
Tied to the BCI Row
The SBC also said this cannot be separated from an earlier event. Just this month, NLSIU students and alumni stood with NALSAR during the Bar Council of India (BCI) controversy. Over 700 people from the NLSIU community had objected when it looked like both BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and CJI Surya Kant might attend NLSIU’s convocation.
Convocation Matters to Students
The Council said they would not judge who is right in this dispute. But they stressed that a convocation is a huge milestone. It marks years of hard work, education, and personal growth, and the start of a new chapter in life. They said it was cruel to take this moment away from students, especially since many had already made travel and family plans to attend.
How the BCI Controversy Started
This whole issue began when BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra issued orders to stop the enrollment of NALSAR Hyderabad’s graduating students. This happened after NALSAR students objected to CJI Surya Kant possibly attending their convocation. After strong criticism from the legal community, Mishra withdrew his order.
NLSIU Students Support NALSAR
Following this, NLSIU students showed support for NALSAR. More than 700 members of the NLSIU community signed a statement opposing both Mishra and CJI Surya Kant attending NLSIU’s own convocation.
CJI Meets Students, a Vote Is Held
As Chancellor of NLSIU, CJI Kant then met with the students to hear their concerns. After the meeting, students were asked to vote: would they accept a convocation with the CJI present, as long as there was no protest or disruption? Students were also promised that Mishra would not attend. On August 23, most students voted yes, especially since the only other option was cancelling the convocation completely.
Terms Suddenly Changed
But two days later, things changed. On August 25, students were told they now had to do more than just attend. They also had to issue a public statement inviting the CJI. Since students couldn’t agree on this new demand, NLSIU’s convocation for the graduating batch was cancelled.
CJI own Words On Protest
NALSAR’s SBC reminded everyone of something important the CJI had said earlier, during the case involving NALSAR students. He had said students have a right to protest, and that those protesting peacefully should be allowed to do so. The Supreme Court had also stopped any punishment or criminal action against the students and faculty involved in the controversy.
Why It Felt Wrong
Given all this, the SBC said it was deeply troubling that NLSIU’s convocation was made conditional on students publicly inviting the CJI. They said this forced students to choose between two things they deeply valued:attending a once in a lifetime event, and standing by their right to dissent.
A Warning Ahead
The SBC warned that this kind of pressure on graduating students could scare future students. They might become afraid to speak up or support each other. The SBC said asking students to take back or go against their earlier stand would weaken the meaning of student dissent and solidarity.
Who’s Responsible? Unclear
The SBC said it’s still unclear if NLSIU’s administration directly caused the cancellation. But they said the situation clearly shows carelessness and a failure to protect students’ interests.
Cancellation Criticized
The statement criticized the administration for cancelling the convocation with only a vague explanation: “unavoidable circumstances.” The SBC said this wasn’t transparent enough for a respected legal institution. They also pointed out that other options, like postponing the event, don’t seem to have been considered before cancelling it completely.
Standing With NLSIU Students
Finally, the Student Bar Council repeated its support for NLSIU students, especially the graduating Batch of 2026. They praised how the students handled themselves through this difficult situation.
The students faced a lot of pressure to give up their earlier stand, but they stayed firm and supportive of NALSAR
